Spiritual Life – Grace thru faithhttps://gracethrufaith.com
The Bible made clear & simple.Mon, 19 Mar 2018 12:40:25 +0000en-UShourly1The Bible and Self Developmenthttps://gracethrufaith.com/topical-studies/spiritual-life/the-bible-and-self-development/
Mon, 08 Jan 2018 08:00:00 +0000https://gracethrufaith.com/uncategorized/the-bible-and-self-development/No one looks at a tree growing out of a crack in the rock high above the desert and calls it the devil’s work, but many extol it as a miracle of God’s creation.

No one looks at a tree growing out of a crack in the rock high above the desert and calls it the devil’s work, but many extol it as a miracle of God’s creation.

A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

I grew up in a secular environment. By that, I mean that while we attended a denominational church every week, the notion of a born-again, spirit-filled believer was as foreign to me as a person from another planet would have been in our little upstate New York town. After school and a stint in the Navy, I wound up in the family business, where I found myself trying to motivate our sales force to higher levels of production. A friend sold me a self-development program and soon I was buying more for our sales staff. Sales performance soared as our salespeople began to realize that they could do much better, for us and themselves, by activating more of their untapped potential for success. Later I joined my friend’s firm and eventually became a partner in one of the nation’s most successful organizations in the emerging human resource development industry before founding my own training and consulting firm. During this time I saw thousands of lives changed for the better.

Real Christians Don’t Do That

When I became a “real” Christian many of my more experienced, and I assumed more learned, Christian friends looked askance at my involvement in self-development, labeling these things as New Age and Pagan influences. And indeed much of what passes for self-development these days is dangerously close to being just that. As a result, I abandoned the most lucrative product my firm offered, a self-development process I had authored called “The High Achiever.” In it I wrote that our Creator had given each of us potential for success beyond our wildest imagination, and it’s our responsibility to use as much of it as possible as an expression of gratitude.

Yet in my studies, I kept finding Biblical passages that seemed to be encouraging us to achieve more of our potential for the purpose of glorifying God. It looked to me as if in their approaches to self-development the secular humanists had hijacked Biblical principles and then edited God out of them to make them palatable to non-believers. This approach works because the Biblical principles are sound. Like gravity, they work even if you don’t believe in the One Who ordained them. The dangerous result is that these principles, given by God and contained in His Word, are now used primarily by non-believers to glorify man, and in some cases even other gods.

We’ve Thrown Out The Baby With The Bath Water

The reaction of a broad spectrum of the Christian community has been to condemn these principles as tools of the devil. And because of this, many believers today live pathetic defeated lives that not only don’t glorify God but actually serve by example to turn seekers away from Him. The rejection of this portion of God’s word arises largely out of the average believer’s ignorance of the Bible due in part to the poor (in both quality and quantity) teaching many receive. Not familiar with the whole counsel of God, they assume that His principles for abundant living were actually developed by humanists or even pagans to lure them away from Him. They wrongly conclude that His promise that “I have come so that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10) refers only to the Millennium.

A Lesson From Creation

But let’s take a look at God’s creation for the lesson it teaches. In all of creation every living thing whether plant or animal naturally strives to achieve its maximum potential. You can’t find a tree that only grows to half its normal height and then quits or a cow that only gives a portion of the milk that it could produce. There are no lazy lions or salmon or even petunias. Every creature that God has created is predisposed to achieve its destiny and to fight with every ounce of its strength to do so. No one looks at a tree growing out of a crack in the rock high above the desert and calls it the devil’s work, but many extol it as a miracle of God’s creation.

Only mankind has been given the choice to settle for less than our Creator intended for us to be, and only man is taught to do this to avoid offending God. But what has God shown us? Abraham, the father of the Jewish people, was made one of the world’s richest men in his day for agreeing to follow God. In revealing Himself to mankind, God chose Israel to show forth the blessing that came from being in a covenant relationship with Him, and in the time of David and Solomon Israel was the richest most powerful nation on earth. Even today a disproportionate share of the world’s intellectual and financial wealth is enjoyed by the people God chose as His own.

When America called itself Christian and subscribed to what’s been labeled the protestant work ethic we were blessed above all nations in history, accomplishing things no other nation on earth could handle, and “Yankee Ingenuity” was thought to be equal to any challenge. Our country was richer, our standard of living higher and our kids brighter than any others ever.

Slowly but steadily we’ve taken Him out of the equation that made our society great and as we did we abandoned His principles as well. Many now look to the government as the source of blessings, while others look only to themselves. So the enemy has counterfeited Biblical principles and is making them work to his glory, while those of us who follow the Lord have yet to realize that by following these same principles we’ll manifest blessings beyond our wildest imagination and glorify the true Author of all our success.

Hear The Word Of The Lord

Delight yourselves in Me, and I’ll give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4).

Study My Word day and night and quote it often. Do everything it tells you and you will be prosperous and successful (Josh 1:8-9).

Trust in Me and stop trying to figure it out on your own. Give Me the credit and I’ll keep you on the straight and narrow. Honor Me with your wealth and your bank account will be filled to overflowing (Prov. 3:5-6, 9-10).

Give Me the 10th that’s Mine, and I’ll throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing you won’t be able to stand it (Malachi 3:9-10).

Give and it will be given to you. A good measure pressed down shaken together and running over will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured to you (Luke 6:38).

Change your attitude (Ephe. 4:23),

practice Positive Thinking (Phil 4:8-9),

discover the Power of Personal Goals (Phil 3:13-14),

the Power of Visualization (2 Cor 4:17-18)

and Affirmation or Self Talk (Phil 4:4 and 13).

Rejoice in Me always. Be fearful of nothing, pray about everything, and be thankful for anything, and I’ll give you peace that transcends human understanding. (Phil 4:4-7).

You’ll be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion (2 Cor 9:11).

And when you are, remember Who it was that gave you the ability to attain wealth (Deut. 8:18).

This is your destiny. Achieve it and you’ll bring the greatest honor imaginable to the One Who made it so.

Note: Jack originally wrote this to give us perspective after the 2008 recession. His message here is such a wonderful way to begin the year, so I’ve edited parts to make it timeless. Here are Jack’s thoughts on the 5 things we should do to begin each New Year.

Note: Jack originally wrote this to give us perspective after the 2008 recession. His message here is such a wonderful way to begin the year, so I’ve edited parts to make it timeless. Here are Jack’s thoughts on the 5 things we should do to begin each New Year. ~Happy New Year! Samantha

The world will be filled with ups and downs and uncertainty until the rapture. But as Christians, we don’t have to wonder what to do. There are a few steps we can take right now to make sure this year will be better for us than last year. I hesitate to call them New Year’s resolutions because we all know how long those last. But since we’re all more favorably disposed to start fresh at the beginning of the year, here are some things we can do now to ensure a better time ahead.

1. Stop Worrying:Matt. 6:33-34. Seek the Lord’s righteousness and His Kingdom in everything you do and let Him do the rest. Stop working to make ends meet, and start doing whatever you do for the Glory of God (1Cor. 10:31). Start living in faith that the One who has never deceived you will meet your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19)

2. Store Up Treasure In Heaven:Matt. 6:19-21. Start performing random acts of kindness in the Lord’s name. Become a light in this dark place. It doesn’t take much, and all you’re asked to do is what you can. I don’t care where you go to church, there’s someone in the room with you who urgently needs help. The soup kitchens, food banks, and emergency shelters have constant needs as well. Find a place where the Lord’s working and pitch in. Everyone in need is your neighbor (Luke 10:29-37). Be a good neighbor.

3. Increase Your Giving: Luke 6:38. I know it sounds counter-intuitive but that’s because our fallen nature gives us a scarcity mentality. We want to hang on tighter when we don’t have as much, forgetting that the Lord uses the same measure in blessing us as we use in blessing others. As a result just as we need more blessing, we get stingier. He has unlimited wealth and will share it with us to the same degree that we share ours with others.

4. Keep Things In Perspective:1 Cor. 10:13. Just about everyone has lost something. And no matter what you are experiencing now, there’s a good chance there are people you know who have experienced worse.

5. Make A Joyful Noise:Psalm 100. There are plenty of folks experiencing hard times. Rejoice in all things. Let your gentleness be evident to all. We think that peace brings joy, but the opposite is true. Joy brings peace. (Phil 4:4-7)

For us this isn’t just a temporary strategy to help us survive until things get better on earth. It’s our End Game. It’s best to assume that things aren’t going to get better until that soon coming day when we suddenly disappear with out a trace. Doing these five things now will bring us a Happy New Year this year and beyond. Plus it will also ensure that we have an eternity of happiness later. These are my thoughts on 01-01-09

]]>From This Day On I Will Bless Youhttps://gracethrufaith.com/topical-studies/spiritual-life/from-this-day-on-i-will-bless-you/
Wed, 15 Nov 2017 08:00:00 +0000https://gracethrufaith.com/?p=4823A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

Seek His Kingdom

On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Haggai: “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Ask the priests what the law says: If a person carries consecrated meat in the fold of his garment,

Seek His Kingdom

On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Haggai: “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Ask the priests what the law says: If a person carries consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, oil or other food, does it become consecrated?’ ” The priests answered, “No.”

Then Haggai said, “If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?”

“Yes,” the priests replied, “it becomes defiled.” Then Haggai said, ” ‘So it is with this people and this nation in my sight,’ declares the LORD. ‘Whatever they do and whatever they offer there is defiled.

Note: Jack wrote this in 2008 during the great recession. While the markets and housing prices have recovered, job losses and rising prices are still with us. And the principles he talks about here are timeless. I’m also comforted by Jack’s reminder that as believers, we’re not held captive to the fate of our nation like the Israelites were. ~Samantha

” ‘Now give careful thought to this from this day on —consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the LORD’s temple. When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty. I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not turn to me,’ declares the LORD.

‘From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the LORD’s temple was laid. Give careful thought: Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit. ” ‘From this day on I will bless you.’ “ (Haggai 2:10-19)

After returning from the Babylonian captivity the Jews had faced a lot of resistance in trying to rebuild their Temple. Finally they gave up, wrongly deciding that perhaps it wasn’t God’s timing. When they did, they faced another kind of trouble as well. They lost the Lord’s favor, and from then on no matter how hard they worked they weren’t successful. Each time they thought they were getting ahead, they discovered they were actually getting further behind. Even their offerings weren’t pleasing to Him.

On the day they they turned back to the construction of the Lord’s house, this all stopped and He restored their blessings. What was the lesson? He wanted them to put His house first, especially in times of persecution.

Financial Disasters

The Lord’s depletion of their stored up goods is a model of today’s losses, first in the decline of the dollar and now in the decline of property values. The dollar has lost much of it’s previous value in the world markets, making the foreign made products we buy, or those made of imported materials, more expensive. (Try to find something on your shopping list that doesn’t fit into one or the other of those two categories.)

In most of the US the average home is still worth less than it was a few years ago. Since most people didn’t have a lot of equity in their homes to begin with, that means the average home owner still owes more on his or her property can it can be sold for. Estimated losses for the Real Estate market are counted in billions of dollars. Retired Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan called this situation a “once-in-a-century” financial disaster, and it’s impacting financial markets all over the world.

Natural Disasters

The blight, mildew, and hail of Haggai 2 are models of the natural disasters that are also afflicting us now. As it was with the Israelites, the fruits of our labors are disappearing, and our offerings are not pleasing to the Lord.

Things that were external and physical in the Old Testament often become internal and spiritual in the New. In the Old Testament the Temple was a building in Jerusalem, but in the New Testament we are the Temple of God (1 Cor. 3:16) and things aren’t national anymore, they’re personal. The good news is that as believers we’re not held captive to the fate of our nation like the Israelites were. In 2 Chron. 7:14 the Lord promised the Israelites,

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

This was a promise to the Jewish people that if as a nation they would return to their covenant relationship with God he would restore His blessings on the Promised Land. The New Testament application of this promise for the Church can be found in Matt. 6:31-33.

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

This is a promise to each of us personally. We’re not to worry about how we’ll get by. We’re to seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given us as well. The Lord’s feeding of the multitudes (Matt. 14:13-21, Matt. 15:29-39) was meant to teach us that He is able to provide when we’re willing to let Him. The feeding of 5,000 is the only one of His many pre-resurrection miracles that’s described in all four gospels, which means that except for the Resurrection it was His most important one.

Now that doesn’t mean we can sit back like baby birds with our mouths open crying, “Feed me.” Paul said that he who will not work shall not eat. (2 Thes. 3:10) But it does mean that we are to put our trust in Him to take care of us regardless of the circumstances, to do the work He gives us no matter what it is, and concentrate on coming closer to Him.

Let’s Get Personal

The time is coming soon when every Christian family in America will either have a personal experience of miraculous survival in the face of financial disaster or will know of one who has. In each case the story will be the same as it was for the Jews of Haggai’s day. As soon as they stopped worrying about their own lives and turned back to the business of building the Lord’s Temple, His blessings were restored. As soon as we stop worrying about how we’re going to survive the potentially difficult days ahead and focus our lives on Him we’ll experience the same result.

Please don’t misunderstand me here. I’m not talking about some external application of legalism. I’m not talking about mindless obedience to rules and commandments while our hearts are in rebellion. I’m talking about an inner reliance on the Lord, about restoring our faith in both His ability and His desire to provide for us.

There’s no prophecy we can point to for assurance that the Lord will save the United States. Applying Old Testament promises meant for Israel to the US is just another form of replacement theology. This is not a national issue. This is a personal one, and each one of us will determine the outcome for our own lives.

The very day that Israel decided to resume building the Lord’s House He restored their blessings. This is a part of the prophecy you can claim for yourself. The very day you determine in your heart to place your life in His hands He will begin blessing you.

That doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll all get to keep everything we now have. Some of our possessions are actually the cause of our problems, both because we’ve over spent to get them and because they’ve taken our focus off the Lord. Some of them have even enslaved us, and were much more fun in the getting than they are in the having. Many came with ongoing ownership costs like interest or other fees that eat away at our resources.

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10). You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God (2 Cor. 9:11)

The Lord will show you what, if anything, has to go. And don’t worry about incurring losses. If He tells you to get rid of something and you obey, then over time He’ll restore your losses. How do I know this? Three reasons. One, He wants you to store up treasure in Heaven. (Matt. 6:19-21) Two, He’s promised that if you follow His direction you’ll be made rich in every way so you can be generous on every occasion (2 Cor. 9:11). You can’t do either of these if you’re taking huge losses. And Three He promised to repay you for the years the locusts have eaten. (Joel 2:25) That means when you turn back to Him He’ll give you joy in return for the misery you’ve caused yourself.

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you (Luke 6:38).

But don’t think He’ll restore your fortunes just so you can keep all your toys, or get them all back. That’s the failure of the so-called prosperity gospel. The Lord’s promise is that we’ll be made rich so we can be generous, not so we can be irresponsible or selfish. It’s in being generous that we store up treasure in Heaven, where no form of property or currency devaluation can do us harm. Generous people are also the happiest people. See how it works?

Some will say, “I’m so far in debt even if I started today it would take 10 years to get out.” I say, “How much debt will you have in 10 years if you don’t start today? The way I see things shaping up, you can either downsize voluntarily and do it the easy way, or you can wait till you’re forced to and do it the hard way.

Now I know better than anyone that the rapture could come any day now and spare us all these things. But if you’re part of the 90% of believers with a secular world view, the longer He waits the more time you’ll have to finally start storing up treasure in Heaven, where it will benefit you forever. When you know you’re moving to a different city soon, you begin thinking about your new home and what your life will be like there. Take my word for it, you’re moving to a different city soon, so you’d better start thinking about it. Remember, our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ (Phil 3:20).

I used to pray for more money so I could pay the bills on my outrageous lifestyle. I didn’t get it. Now I live on less than 1/3 of what I used to spend and in every sense I’m wealthier than I was. Now I pray for more money so I can give more to His work, and He always sends it. You think maybe there’s a lesson in there somewhere? Selah 09-20-08

Tired of just being average? Discover how to become normal instead. Among all of mankind, only Christians have the potential to become normal, because by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

Tired of just being average? Discover how to become normal instead. Among all of mankind, only Christians have the potential to become normal, because by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

•normal:

[nawr-muh l]

adjective

conforming to the standard—[Jesus is our standard].

Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. (Hebrews 10:11-14)

In the USA the average adult lives to about age 72, earns roughly $30,000 per year, gets married twice, has about 2 children … the statistics go on and on. While most of us find some categories we don’t fit in, the simple fact is that on the whole, we’re average. And it’s also apparent that there isn’t any big difference between believers and non-believers. As a group, we’re not less educated or intelligent, and don’t earn less, as some secular “thinkers” contend. Nor do we behave any closer to the Lord’s standards, as some of us contend. We have about the same ratio of broken marriages, troubled children, and other dysfunctions as our unbelieving neighbors. We’re neither better nor worse than others—we’re just average. A bumper sticker I once saw declares, “Christians aren’t any better, we’re just forgiven.” Well said.

When it comes to normal it’s a different story. While we are average, we certainly are not normal. In truth the fact that we’re average automatically renders us abnormal. You see in all of history there has only been one normal man. He lived about 2000 years ago and is the only perfect example of the human race. To be normal is to conform to an established standard and only one man has lived the way our Creator designed us to live; only one has met the standards for the race. His name is Jesus. All the rest of us have fallen far short of His glory (Rom 3:23).

An Example from Manufacturing

In the manufacture of mechanical or electronic parts, a prototype is made first. The prototype is the perfect example of the part to be made and is the one to which all others are compared. Design specifications are then established and subsequent parts are compared to the prototype. Quality Control procedures assure that the specifications are met.

Sometimes the setting on a machine will slip and a flaw will be introduced into the manufacturing process. All parts produced from then on will fail to meet the specification. The Quality Control department alerts the machinist, who resets the machine to make the parts perfect again.

Throughout the manufacturing process a simple rule is followed. Parts conforming to the specifications are kept and those with flaws are rejected. A perfect part is normal; a flawed part is abnormal.

The Ultimate Prototype

The Bible makes three sets of claims about The Lord (Rev 22:13). He is Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, and the First and the Last. These aren’t just repetitious thoughts. Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek Alphabet, equivalent to our phrase “from A to Z” which means all encompassing. The Greek word translated “beginning” is arche and denotes an order of time, place or rank. “End” comes from telos, which means the ultimate result or purpose; the upper limit.

The word translated “first” is protos and means the foremost or best. We get prototype from this one. And “last” comes from eschatos, a superlative meaning farthest or uttermost. The term eschatology (the study of the end times) originates here.

And so Jesus is the all encompassing model for mankind. He’s the first in order of time, place and rank (Col 1:18), and the ultimate result or purpose of man—to be one with God (John 17:20-23). He is the prototype, against whom all will be compared (Rom 8:29), the uttermost or perfect example of the race (Hebr. 1:3) the only normal man ever born.

What Went Wrong?

Adam was created in the image of God, conforming to the specifications of the prototype Jesus. He sinned and a flaw was introduced into the procreation process. All his successors became flawed as a result of that sin.

Just as a machine that gets out of adjustment will not correct its self but gets worse until readjusted, so the sin introduced in the Garden was not self-correcting and has been compounded through time. This is demonstrated in the example of the first priest in the quote from Hebrews 10 above. No matter how many sacrifices are offered, our sins remain.

Man vs. Machine

In manufacturing, flawed parts are simply discarded, but our Creator loves us too much for that. He made it possible for us to be recreated with out the flaw. It took two things: the sacrifice of His Prototype and our willingness to be born again. With that He could recreate us in His own image and make us into perfect specimens, new creations, as righteous as God. (2 Cor. 5:17-21) He did this so we could become normal; conforming to our specifications. Among all of mankind, only Christians have the potential to become normal.

So What’s the Big Deal?

I began by saying that right now as a group we’re no better or worse than anyone else, when compared to God’s standards. But know this. Whether in the Rapture or Resurrection, one day soon you will be changed. That which has been completed in eternity will be consummated in time. The corrupt will be made incorruptible; the mortal immortal, and you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. No longer average, finally normal. Because by His one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. (Hebr. 10:14) Thank you, Lord.

If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead you will be saved (Rom 10:9).

We’ve all confessed (give assent to or acknowledge) with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and understand its importance to our salvation, but what about the “believe in your heart” portion of the verse?

In Romans 10:10 Paul goes on to say that it’s with our heart that we believe and are justified. The Greek word translated justify is from dikaios which means to be innocent or holy. The King James translates this word believe unto righteousness meaning that our belief in the resurrection is what brings us our righteousness, allowing God to regard us as though we’re innocent of any sin and therefore holy.

The notion of a bodily resurrection is as old as the Bible itself. It’s contained in what is arguably the earliest written book of the Bible.

I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! (Job 19:25-27)

King David knew he would see his newly deceased infant son again (2 Sam 12:22-23) and both Isaiah 26:20-21 and Daniel 12:2 promise a bodily resurrection at the end of the age.

The Church in Corinth had difficulty understanding this, so in 1 Cor. 15 Paul devoted a whole chapter to their questions about resurrection going as far as to state, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, you are still in your sins.” (1 Cor 15:7) Yet today, many who call themselves Christian still don’t believe it. Liberal theology does not require belief in a bodily resurrection, and even among Evangelicals, it’s sometimes spiritualized away. We know that if we believe the Bible we are required to believe in a bodily resurrection, but do we know why it’s required?

There’s More Here Than Meets the Eye

John the Baptist introduced Jesus as the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of world (John 1:29), not just the sins of the Jews or even of those Jews and Gentiles present at the time, but the sins of the world. Every violation of God’s law that ever had been or ever would be committed was to be dealt with. Of course, this didn’t mean the world would no longer be a sinful place, or that everyone would be saved, but that the penalty for the sins of the world would be borne by the Lamb of God for the benefit of all who chose to accept it. Here’s how it happened.

In Roman crucifixions, a sign was posted above the head of the one being executed, listing the broken laws for which his life was being taken. It was meant as a deterrent for those watching the public executions. In Jesus’ case, the sign said “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” indicating his crime against Rome was treason. In Col 2:13-14 we’re told that in the spiritual realm another sign was also posted. It listed all the sins that mankind ever had or ever would commit. It explained why His life was really being taken.

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross (Col 2:13-14).

Notice it says He forgave us all our sins. Not just the ones we committed before we were saved, and not just the ones we commit by accident. He forgave all of our sins, even those we commit willfully and repeatedly.

Hebrews 10:12-14 says that Jesus offered for all time one sacrifice for sin and then sat down at the right hand of God, because by that one sacrifice He has made us perfect forever. His death took place on one specific day in time, but its effect applies across the span of time to all the days of every man. We only have to ask for God’s forgiveness to receive it.

But Jesus actually did much more than bear the punishment due us. 2 Cor 5:21 says that God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. In other words, while on the cross, He became the physical embodiment of sin. God can not dwell in the presence of sin, nor even look upon it (Haba 1:13) and so He had to turn away, separating Himself from His Son. For 3 hours light was taken from the world and for the first time in eternity, the two were not one.

If the ultimate punishment for sin is complete separation from God, Jesus suffered it then. It was the only time in the entire ordeal that He complained, crying, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” (Matt 27:45-46) When He had died, His punishment over, He no longer personified sin and the light was restored.

What’s The Point?

After His resurrection, Jesus looked like other men to His disciples and the 500 eyewitnesses who saw Him (1 Cor. 15:6). He walked with His disciples, talked with them, ate with them and permitted them to touch Him to assure themselves He was not just a spirit, but a man with flesh and bone (Luke 24:36-43). His was a bodily resurrection. Later He ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.

Now here’s the point. Remember, God cannot be in the presence of sin or even look upon it (Haba 1:13). Jesus had taken upon himself every sin of mankind, past, present, and future. If even one was left unpaid by His death, Jesus couldn’t be in God’s presence and would still be in the grave (Rom 6:23). His resurrection is proof of yours. If you cannot believe that God raised Jesus from the dead then you cannot believe that all your sins are forgiven and that He will raise you up.

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For in Adam all die so in Christ all will be made alive (1 Cor. 15:20-22).

On that Sunday morning in April of 32AD, as the sun was rising, the priests in the Temple were preparing for the festival that always begins on the morning after the first Sabbath after Passover. It was First Fruits, signifying the beginning of the spring harvest for the Nation of Israel.

And Mary was going to the tomb with some other women to complete the burial process that had been interrupted by the holy days following the crucifixion. But the tomb was empty. The Son had risen, the First Fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

That empty tomb was the clearest sign we have ever received that the Lord had accomplished His mission. The Lamb of God had indeed taken away the sin of the world, all of it.

The essential gospel is that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and that He was raised on the third day (1 Cor. 15:3-4). Believing this is the only qualification for salvation. We are sinners in need of a savior. Jesus died for our sins, and to prove that His death was sufficient for us, God raised Him from the dead on the third day. Believing in our heart that God raised Him from the dead is our assurance that He will raise us, too. Selah

Judging from the feedback I’ve received lately, some of us don’t know what sin is. The word comes from an old English archery term meaning “to miss the mark.” Jesus gave us the mark in Matt. 5:48“Be perfect,

Judging from the feedback I’ve received lately, some of us don’t know what sin is. The word comes from an old English archery term meaning “to miss the mark.” Jesus gave us the mark in Matt. 5:48“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Anything short of that is missing the mark, and whether by thought, word, or deed, is sin. The main purpose of His three chapter Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7) was to change our perception of sin. The Pharisees thought that if they obeyed the commandments they weren’t sinning and therefore didn’t need a Savior. To achieve their position of authority, they had to have lived such an exemplary life as to appear nearly perfect. This focus on perfection in their behavior made them arrogant, unsympathetic toward their weaker brethren. It had made them worse than useless in advancing the Kingdom. They were actually driving people away.

He began by saying that in judging our behavior, God would not overlook even the smallest detail of the Law. He said that even our thoughts would be held against us. Anger is as bad as murder, He said, lust is as bad as adultery, and so on. He said that unless our righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees we will certainly not enter the Kingdom. (Matt. 5:20) Later on He said that they were like whitewashed tombs which are beautiful on the outside but full of dead men’s bones. He said in the same way they appeared to people as righteous but were full of hypocrisy. (Matt. 23:27-28) The Pharisees were compulsive about their behavior, applying the Law to the most minute things in their lives, even giving a tithe of the herbs and spices that grew in their gardens. (Matt. 23:23) And our righteousness needs to exceed theirs? In all of their behavior they had achieved perfection.

Where Did That Come From?

Then where does sin originate if not in our behavior? In Mark 7:20-23 Jesus said: “What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’ “

Jeremiah said, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9) This is what he meant. Satan brings evil thoughts to the threshold of our minds. If we immediately take these thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ, there’s no harm done. We’ve fended off an attack. (2 Cor. 10:3-5) But the moment we give them any consideration at all, we’ve sinned. Anger, jealousy, envy, lust, resentment, frustration, self-pity are some of the more obvious ones, but then there’s admiration, pride, self-satisfaction, self-righteousness and a long list of others that give glory to someone or something other than God. Our hearts being incurably wicked we do two things that make us sinners. First, we harbor these thoughts, and second we think that because we don’t act on them we haven’t sinned. But whether acted upon or not, these and many more are all sins punishable by death. No one sees them, and they’re so natural to us that often we ourselves are barely aware of them. To all outward appearances we appear to be fine, upstanding examples of Christian goodness, but inside we’re rotten to the core.

Pastor Chuck Smith, the founder of Calvary Chapel, once said, “We aren’t sinners because we sin, we sin because we’re sinners.” It’s our nature. Those who claim to have stopped sinning simply don’t understand this. The best we can say about ourselves is that because of our conversion we’re perhaps a little more aware of our sins, but the research has shown that by and large most of us live lives that aren’t any freer of sin than our unbelieving neighbors. Like them, we’re after bigger and better stuff for ourselves while ignoring the needs of people around us. Like them we’re jealous of the success of others while crediting ourselves with our own success. Like them we get angry about little things. Like them, we wish our lives were different. Like them, we have a secular world view.

But what has been most instructive to me lately is the way so many people actually think they’re no longer sinners, just because they’re saved. I guess the old saying is true. We all want grace for ourselves while demanding justice for everyone else. We want to be judged by our intentions but we want others judged by their actions.

As the Bible clearly shows, there is no hierarchy of sin. All sin brings death. We don’t think there’s anything wrong with being angry or envying the possessions of our neighbors or entertaining a lustful thought now and then, but we demand others stop their sinning or else be condemned. Please don’t misunderstand me. There’s nothing wrong with being uncomfortable around sinful behavior. There’s nothing wrong with deciding to withdraw from it. And there’s nothing wrong with demanding that the leaders of our churches adhere to Biblical principles about sin. But when we start saying that certain forms of sin disqualify a person for salvation, then we’ve put ourselves in God’s place and risk having the same measure we use in judging others, be used with us.

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Matt. 7:1-2)

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6:37)

According to Biblical standards we all willingly, consciously and deliberately sin. The fact that some sins are more obvious to us than others is irrelevant. It’s what’s in our hearts that counts, and God sees them all. We forget that Jesus said every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. (Matt. 12:31) Every sin. And not just once. Enough to last a lifetime.

Repent And Be Saved

Having talked about sin, we should also take a look at repentance. The Greek word translated repent is metanoeo. Meta means after and noeo means to understand. To repent literally means to understand afterward. As it’s used in the New Testament it means to change one’s mind. The phrase “Repent and be saved” means change your mind about your behavior and realize that you’re a sinner in need of a savior. It was first used with Jews who thought that keeping the Law would save them. When John the Baptist (Matt. 3:2), Jesus (Matt. 4:17), and Peter (Acts 2:38) told the people to repent, they were telling them to change their minds about believing that their own works could save them. Only people who know their behavior is sinful will realize their need for a Savior. Once it becomes clear to us that we’re sinners and can’t save ourselves, we’re ready to ask for salvation. We’ve repented.

But nowhere in the Bible is anyone required to change their behavior before they can ask for salvation. The old hymn “Just as I Am” makes that clear. To say that the word repent implies that behavioral change is a condition of salvation is an incorrect understanding of the word. The notion that Christians stop sinning once we’re saved is similarly incorrect. The fact that God chooses to see us as a new creation is a function of His ability to look ahead to what we’ll be in the resurrection. It’s not due to our suddenly exemplary behavior.

There was a time in ancient history when people looked forward to cloudy days, because they thought the Lord wouldn’t be able to look down and catch them sinning. It was like a free day. Today we understand how absurd that was. When a person is caught in adultery, or theft, or homosexuality it’s obvious to everyone that he or she has been sinning. But the person who secretly envies his neighbor’s possessions, is jealous, harbors resentment, or is self righteous, is every bit as much a sinner. The only difference is that nobody knows. Nobody on Earth, that is.

And then there’s the sin we’re not even aware of. This is what caused David to write, “Who can discern His errors? Lord, forgive my hidden faults.” (Psalm 19:12) We can’t even figure out our own motives and yet are often quick to judge the motives of others. We say they could stop their sinning whenever they want to, and are only doing it by choice, while we remain in our secret sins having convinced ourselves that we’re not sinning, and seeing no need to stop.

Do we think that condemning others and questioning their salvation, as so many in the Church do, is helping them? With the woman caught in adultery, Jesus saved her life by exposing the secret sins of her accusers. Once they understood that He knew the hidden flaws in their behavior, they no longer had the stomach for condemning her. This was a demonstration of his admonition in Matt. 7:1-2 to avoid judging others unless we want to be judged in like manner. He said He would use the same measure on us that we use on others. When He said, “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone” (John 8:7) , He was saying in effect, “If you want to start killing people for their sins, are you willing to face the same judgment for yours?” He can expose our hypocrisy just as easily, you know. If we want other believers kicked out of the rapture for their sins, are we willing to be kicked out for ours? We’ve all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. It’s true, Jesus said. “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of Heaven.” But He can do that. He’s Jesus. We’re not.

After they fled, Jesus asked “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, sir.” “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” (John 8:10-11) My guess is that she stopped committing adultery. Of course she also would have stopped if her accusers had killed her, but would she have been delivered from her sin?

The Pharisees were upset with Jesus because they considered Him “soft” on sin. After all, He palled around with “sinners”, had dinner in their homes, and said He came to save them, not to condemn them. I’ve noticed that the closer people came to Jesus, the more they became aware of their sins. They were often on their knees, weeping, pleading for mercy. The Pharisees stood in the back, scowling, arms folded across their chests, silently condemning. I think Paul was writing about such people when he said they show contempt for the riches of His kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance. (Romans 2:4)

Jesus said that prostitutes and tax collectors would enter the Kingdom before the Pharisees did. Why? Because they knew they were sinners in need of a savior. They had repented, whereas the Pharisees had not. (Matt. 21:32)

I think you get the point of this, which is to remind us that we’re all sinners who deserve only judgment. There’s not a single one of us who has earned the right to go in the Rapture. We should be so thrilled to know He’s going to take us anyway that we search high and low trying to find a way to say thanks, instead of looking around for people we want to have excluded. And those of you who think that you only sin occasionally, if at all, and that others are just weak, it’s time you repent. Admit you’re a sinner and ask the Lord to forgive you. He will immediately agree, and perhaps for the first time you’ll experience the full measure of God’s Grace, because he who has been forgiven much, loves much. Selah 12-13-08

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:31-32)

In the Lord’s first sentence above the word translated “you” is plural, but He changed to the singular in the second and third. This means that all the disciples would be sifted when the Lord was arrested, in fulfillment of Zechariah 13:7, “Strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered.” But He was choosing Peter to keep the group together and focused after He was gone.

From watching him throughout the 3 1/2 years he spent with the Lord, we can tell that Peter was a fearless, decisive guy, used to taking charge and making things happen. These are qualities we admire in a man, and are necessary for success as an independent businessman such as Peter. Some have even described him as head strong, and a bit of a loose cannon. Luke’s account of Peter’s calling shows him to be a man given to strong and immediate reactions.

One day near Capernaum Jesus used Peter’s boat as a speaker’s platform. Afterward, He had Peter go out and let down his nets for a catch. Complaining that they hadn’t caught anything all the previous night, Peter said he would do it, but only because Jesus told him to. Of course, they came up with a net full. Peter’s immediate reaction was to say, “Go away from me Lord, I am a sinful man.” This after hearing one teaching. (Luke 5:1-8)

When Jesus came to the disciples walking on the water, Peter was the one who got out of the boat to try it too, and almost drowned (Matt. 14:25-31). Peter was the first to declare that Jesus is the son of God (Matt. 16:16). When Jesus said they were going to Jerusalem where He would be arrested and put to death, Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. (Matt. 16:22-24)

At the Last Supper, when Jesus tried to wash Peter’s feet, he at first refused to allow it, then asked for a complete bath. With Peter it was all or nothing. (John 13:6-9)

And finally, in the Garden later that evening, he drew a sword and stepped between Jesus and a detachment of armed, professional soldiers who had come to arrest Him. Swinging his sword at them, he cut off the ear of the High Priest’s servant, Malchus. He was clearly ready to take them all on in defense of the Lord. (John 18:10)

But the Lord rebuked him and with the touch of His hand, healed the servants’ ear. (Luke 22:51) Then He said, “Do you think I cannot call on My Father and He will at once put at my disposal more than 12 legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen this way? (Matt. 26:53-54) Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me? (John 18:11)

When you read all the accounts of the Lord’s arrest, you get a glimpse of both His power and His resolve. John records that simply by identifying Himself, He put all the soldiers on their backs, (John 18:4-6) and from Matthew we learn that at His command the angelic host would rush to his defense.

A Roman legion consisted of 6,000 soldiers, and while it was a formidable force, it was merely a human one. Imagine what 12 times 6,000 (72,000) angelic warriors could do. He could have easily subdued the arresting party and thrown the entire Roman army out of His land in the bargain, but that’s not what He came to do. When I consider the power available to Him and yet the meekness with which He submitted to those comparatively puny leaders I’m driven to my knees in awe and gratitude.

As Paul would later write, here was One who was in His very nature God. And yet He made Himself nothing, adopting instead the nature of a humble, obedient servant. As such, He agreed to be executed in the manner reserved for the basest of criminals. (Phil 2:6-8) And Peter would add, it was not for any crime He had committed, but to pay the penalty for ours. (1 Peter 1:18-19 & 3:18)

Something Had To Be Done

But something had to be done about Peter. So accustomed was he to coming to the rescue that he couldn’t imagine just standing by, doing nothing, while the Lord surrendered His perfect life. And it’s my guess that even the Lord’s prediction of his denial served to strengthen Peter’s resolve that as long as he could prevent it, the Lord would not fall into any danger. Earlier the Lord had rebuked him for not seeing the big picture, not having in mind the things of God but the things of man, but it hadn’t been enough. The Lord’s second rebuke, in the garden, had backed Peter down temporarily, but more had to be done.

It wasn’t as if Peter could thwart the will of God, but he could make accomplishing it a lot messier, perhaps even wasting his own life in the process. The Lord had more in store for Peter that required keeping him alive, but Peter’s self determining ways would not be helpful with that either. He had to be brought to the end of himself, in order to be useful to God. He had to be made weak in order for the Lord to show Himself strong, and so Satan got permission to “sift him as wheat”, just as he had earlier received permission to afflict Job in order to accomplish God’s will. Like it is with wheat, the sifting of a man is designed to remove his impurities, and that’s what the Lord wanted for Peter. Satan was simply His agent for accomplishing that.

Peter’s sifting came in the form of his public denial of the Lord. I can’t begin to imagine how humiliating it must have been for him when he heard that rooster crow, and remembered the Lord’s earlier prophecy of his denial. He’d always been so brave, so dauntless, but suddenly even the accusation of a servant girl, the least powerful of all people, had intimidated him into denial, and just at the moment of what he perceived to be the Lord’s greatest need. I can even see him blaming himself for the Lord’s death, much as you and I have done when we finally came to the gut level realization that it was our sin that put Him on the cross, not just humanity’s, but ours.

Peter had always been the one the others looked to for strength, but when it really counted he’d been weak, even cowardly. For the rest of his life and through out the entire Church Age when people thought of Peter, they’d remember that moment. It would define his life.

But Wait, There’s More

Romans 8:28 does apply to all the situations in our lives. God is working everything together for the good of those who love Him. For at that moment Peter was ready to be born again, made new in the attitude of his mind. The fact becomes achingly clear in the passage we call Peter’s reinstatement. It’s found in John 21:15-19. You really have to consult your Greek lexicon to understand it because the English translations miss the point entirely. Here’s the conversation.

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

The key to understanding this exchange is in the word “love”. John used a different Greek word for “love” in the Lord’s questions than he did in Peters’ responses. In his first two questions, the Lord’s word for love is agapeo, which describes an all encompassing love that puts the needs and well being of the object of one’s love above everything, including one’s own needs, and does so irrespective of the object’s response. It’s the love the Lord has for us, demonstrated on the cross.

But in response, Peter used a different word, phileo, which describes the affection one brother would have for another. Finally, in His third question, the Lord substituted Peter’s word for His and they were able to agree. Both knew that Peter’s new understanding of himself would not permit him to brashly proclaim the extreme love that Jesus had asked for, and the Lord agreed that the level of love Peter could offer was sufficient. Peter’s re-birth was successful and he could now be restored to his leadership role.

From that point on the change in Peter is remarkable. His sermons in Acts 2 & 3 could never have been possible had he not become submissive to the leading of the Holy Spirit within him, and throughout the Book of Acts it’s obvious that he was a changed man. And perhaps most important of all is the example his life provides for those of us who have experienced similar humbling and even humiliating failures on our way to becoming useful to the Lord.

Many great men have undergone trials designed to mold them for service to the Lord. Abraham was asked to send Ishmael away, and then to sacrifice Isaac. Moses endured 40 years in the desert while the reputation he had built in Pharaoh’s court as a Prince of Egypt was forgotten. After defeating the 400 prophets of Baal in one of the Bible’s greatest public displays of faith, Elijah was chased into the desert by the Phoenician woman Jezebel. Paul suffered through and was healed from numerous beatings and other public embarrassments.

But as dramatic as their stories are, it’s Peter who showed us that the very personality traits most admired by the world can be a great handicap when we undertake the Lord’s work, and often our only hope in becoming effective is to be divested of them. It’s a painful experience. Some are defeated by it and leave the ministry, but those who survive learn that the Lord’s response to Paul’s complaint is true for all of us. “My strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor. 12:9) Selah 03-15-08

Every time I post a study on the completed work of the Lord who took away all the sins of the world, and how all that’s left for us to do is believe, I get a number of questions from people. These questions are always about others who don’t seem to have been changed at all by their salvation experience.

Every time I post a study on the completed work of the Lord who took away all the sins of the world, and how all that’s left for us to do is believe, I get a number of questions from people. These questions are always about others who don’t seem to have been changed at all by their salvation experience. The writers ask me, “Where’s the evidence of a changed life?” or, “What about sacrifice, and repentance, and death to sin?” or “Are you saying that just because a person went forward and mouthed some prayer, and then never did anything else, that means they’re saved?”

If we look carefully we’ll find that the Lord anticipated questions like these, and answered them in advance. In this case the answer can be found in Matt. 13, so that’s where we’ll look.

Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear.” (Matt. 13:3-9)

As He explained later in the chapter, the farmer represents the Lord, the seed is His word, the soil is the world, and the birds represent the evil one. While the parables He gave us in Matt. 13 are often called the Kingdom Parables, it’s important to understand that this first one describes the whole world, not just His kingdom. In the world His word is met with four kinds of responses.

No Comprehension

The first kind is called the seed that falls on the path. It represents people who hear the word but fail to comprehend it. In Matt. 13:19 He said this is due to the fact that the evil one comes and snatches it away. Paul put it this way.

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Cor 4:3-4)

Because of their lifestyle choices some people have developed a heart so hard that the Gospel cannot penetrate its shell. The words lie there on the surface for the enemy to sweep away lest any should slip into a crack and take root. When you try to share the gospel with these people, they look at you like you’ve come from another planet. It’s foolishness to them, as Paul said it would be. (1 Cor. 2:14)

No Conversion

The Lord called the second response the seed that falls on the rocky places. This refers to people who hear the Gospel message and in the passion of the moment run forward for the altar call, but never really let the Lord into their hearts, so there’s no conversion. It all sounded so good at that crusade or revival meeting and they got all caught up in the excitement of the event. But they didn’t really open their hearts to the Lord so the first time someone laughs at or ridicules them for their beliefs they deny the Gospel and act like the altar call never happened.

Sadly this describes an overwhelming majority of those who come forward at public events. They don’t ever wander into a church afterward, or even crack open their Bible, so they were never really saved at all. Had they sincerely asked the Lord to forgive them, they could have been part of the small minority who really does get saved this way, but they didn’t give it a thought. They just jumped up and ran down front because it felt good at the time. Paul warned us against letting this happen to us.

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. (Col 2:6-7)

No Fruit

The seed among the thorns describes believers who are saved but are so distracted by the things of the world that they bear no fruit. Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) He wasn’t talking about our salvation there because salvation is not a fruit bearing event. Fruit has an effect on others where salvation is purely personal. In other words, fruit is not something that happens to the branch, it’s something that happens through the branch. And the branch does not make fruit grow by its own effort. It’s the vine that does the work.

Why are there so many believers who don’t bear fruit? It’s because of the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth. According to Matt. 13:22 they choke the Word and make it unfruitful. Preoccupation with the things of this world makes it impossible to hear the prompting of the Holy Spirit. This is probably the biggest group in all of Christianity, saved but not fruitful. This is the group some other believers look at and wonder, “Are those people really saved”? Odds are the answer is yes, but you’d never know by looking at them.

But before we go on, there’s something we should remember. Living a “sacrificial life” is not the same as being fruitful. To sacrifice is to give up something for nothing, like the lambs did on the altar. They received no benefit from it. The notion that Christians have to live sacrificial lives is man’s idea, not God’s. Jesus said that He came so that we could have an abundant life, not a sacrificial one. (John 10:10)

Christians aren’t asked to give up something for nothing. No one who is truly walking with the Lord thinks of it as a sacrifice, he thinks of it as a greater blessing than anything he could have otherwise received. People who take pride in living a sacrificial life are missing the point, and by denying themselves the things they secretly still want (it wouldn’t be a sacrifice if they didn’t), they not only aren’t producing any fruit, they may just be performing works of the flesh. You can tell because the result is not joy, it’s jealousy, envy or resentment toward others. These are not the fruit of the Spirit.

No Problem

The seed that lands in fertile ground produces a crop many times its size. This is the group that Paul wrote about in Galatians 5:22-26, where he also described the fruit we produce.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

This fruit grows when the gospel finds fertile soil. It impacts others, and draws them to the Lord. The peace and contentment we feel, and the love and kindness we express, causes others to want what we have. When they get it, they in turn draw still others, and without trying or even knowing, we’ll have produced a crop that will multiply us over and over.

So we take pity on those for whom there is no comprehension and pray that the Lord will soften their hearts. And likewise for those for whom there was no conversion. The Gospel was just a passing fancy for them, a rush of emotion that never became a commitment. Let them hear it again, Lord, and this time may they choose to invite you in. And especially for those who though saved, are so caught up in the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth, that they’re totally unfruitful. Help them gain the eternal perspective.

The best witness we can offer to the world lies not in doing what we think the Lord wants us to do, but in being what He wants us to be. So while we’re at it let’s pray that since we live by the Spirit, He’ll keep us in step with the Spirit, so we won’t become conceited, and begin provoking and envying each other. Amen. Selah 06-28-08

In this study, we’re going to deal with a new definition that’s coming into the Christian lexicon. The word being re-defined is overcomer and the new definition is that an overcomer is someone who lives a Christ-like life, as opposed to just talking about it.

In this study, we’re going to deal with a new definition that’s coming into the Christian lexicon. The word being re-defined is overcomer and the new definition is that an overcomer is someone who lives a Christ-like life, as opposed to just talking about it. They have completely died to self and now live a life that’s holy and blameless.

Some who embrace this definition claim that only those who meet its requirements will be the Bride of Christ while all other believers will spend the millennium in the “outer darkness” learning the sanctification that they failed to learn on Earth, so they’ll be ready for eternity when the 1000 years are over.

The fact that the Bible never uses the word in this context doesn’t seem to be a problem for advocates of this new definition. It’s like the word repent, which is never used in the Bible to describe a change in behavior, only a change in attitude. Because they’ve never been taught that, its intended meaning has never entered most peoples’ minds. The common understanding of overcomer is facing the same future.

But to set the record straight, let’s see just how the Bible does define an overcomer. The word overcome first appears in connection with believers in John 16:33

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Even though this world isn’t a perfect place, we can have peace in our lives knowing that Jesus has overcome the world. No matter how bad life is for us here, in Christ we’re assured of a better one to come. Jesus is the overcomer, and He told us this to encourage us. (Imagine how you’d feel about this word of encouragement if you arrived in Heaven only to discover that you had to complete a 1000 year indoctrination program before you were deemed worthy for the Kingdom.)

Paul said that we should overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21) But while he admonished us over and over again to go beyond salvation and achieve victory over the sin nature in order to win the crowns available to us for doing so, he never once said that our participation in the kingdom depends on it. This is the only time he ever used the word relative to our behavior.

Of all the New Testament writers, John used the word most often, saying that those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God are overcomers.

I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one. (1 John 2:14)

Every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. (1 John 4:3-4)

Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. (1 John 5:4-5)

We’ve overcome the evil one, the spirit of anti-Christ, and the world, and how did we do that? Through faith, by believing that Jesus is the Son of God. As is always the case, it’s our faith that makes us appear holy and blameless, not our behavior, which could never qualify us.

In Rev. 2-3 the word is used in each of the seven letters to churches to describe those who resist or reject the religious sin for which the church is being criticized and/or remain true to the gospel.

Overcomers In Ephesus

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. (Rev. 2:4-5,7)

By the end of the first century the Church had already become so busy doing religious works that they had forgotten that the work was done and our primary purpose is to worship the Lord and give Him thanks. The relationship He gave His life to have with us was already becoming another religion. Those who changed their attitude and overcame the human tendency to earn our position with God, and rested in the fact that Jesus did it all would meet Him at the Tree of life in paradise. The overcomer was the one who rested in faith and worshiped God.

Overcomers In Smyrna

Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death. (Rev. 2:10)

The ten days referred to here are the reign of 10 Caesars, which lasted for 250 years, through the third Century. During this time Christians were persecuted relentlessly. Many were called upon to give their lives for their faith. The Lord offered no escape from this except that which comes from death. But those who remained faithful in believing His promise of everlasting life, received it. The overcomer died in faith and received life.

Overcomers In Pergamum

Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it. (Rev. 2:14-17)

In the 4th Century the church was married to the pagan Babylonian religion, and practices that were not only un-Biblical but detestable to the Lord became common. The Lord threatened to fight these practices with the sword of His Mouth, which is his Word. The overcomers were those who stayed true to the unadulterated Gospel and lived by faith in its promises. They received the Bread of Life, and a token that would commend them to the Father in the name of the Son.

Overcomers In Thyatira

Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): Only hold on to what you have until I come. To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations. (Rev. 2:20-26)

The illicit marriage of the Church to Babylon produced four children, all alive on Earth today. Thyatira represents the Catholic Church, the first child. It became wealthy by confiscating property through false accusation, like Jezebel had, and also instituted the sale of indulgences that authorized licentious practices for a fee. But to those who hold Jesus in their hearts and reject the traditions that would add to what He accomplished on the cross, Jesus promises salvation. They haven’t learned Satan’s secrets of Jesus plus Mary, Grace plus works, Scripture plus sacraments, and have overcome, living by faith alone.

Overcomers In Sardis

Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. (Rev. 3:2-5)

The second child is the Protestant Church, represented by Sardis. It carried out the Lord’s threat to judge the Church’s practices by the Sword of His Mouth. The call of the reformation was “Sola fides (only through faith), sola gratia (Only by grace), solus Christus (only with Christ), sola Scriptura (Only His Word) and Soli Dia gloria (to the Glory of God alone).” For the first time, the Bible was available to all who could read it. Great seminaries were founded to teach pastors the Word of God. But into these seminaries the devil crept, and the authority of God’s word was challenged. It was all in the name of intellectualism so it was thought to be good, but soon the Gospel had been robbed of its power, the light of faith had gone out, the Spirit was quenched, and the people had been lulled to sleep.

Many still are asleep, but there are a few who remember the Gospel and cling to it. They’ve repented of the Documentary Hypothesis, Modern Rationalism, and all the rest. They’ve overcome what Walter Martin called the Cult of Liberalism and have retained the power of the Gospel. They’ve been washed in the Blood of the Lamb and been given clean clothes. Their names have been written in the Book of Life, and He will never blot them out.

Overcomers In Philadelphia

I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. (Rev. 3:8,10-12)

“Hold on to what you have,” the Lord commands the Evangelical Church, the third child, “because I’m coming soon. And because you’ve waited patiently for me, I’ll keep you from the hour of trial that’s going to test the whole world.”

And what do we have to hold on to? We have His Word, His name, and His promise. He’s coming soon. There are 5 crowns mentioned in the New Testament, to which believers should aspire. But here the Lord mentioned only one. Which one? I think it’s the one described in 2 Tim. 4:8, the Crown of Righteousness, for those who’ve longed for His appearance. Who but the Bible believing, prophecy studying Evangelical Church can even qualify for this crown, and which one is more descriptive of the yearning in our hearts?

Overcomers In Laodicea

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne. (Rev. 3:15-16-20-21).

Here’s the fourth child, the End Times Apostate Church. Prosperous and in need of nothing. They like to call themselves followers of Christ, not just believers, and the focus is definitely on doing. Hardly anyone hears His knock on the door, which means He’s standing outside trying to get in. To those who overcome this mad rush to conquer a world beyond saving, in the name of a Jesus many of them don’t know, in the hope of accomplishing something He doesn’t want, to those who hear the knock and invite Him into their heart to kindle the fires of faith, He will give the right to sit with Him on his throne.

These seven letters give us seven examples to show that we overcome by faith alone. From the church in Ephesus we see that we overcome by worshiping the Lord and thanking Him for doing all the work of our salvation. From Smyrna we see that it’s by remaining faithful to the point of death that we overcome and receive life. The overcomers in Pergamum rejected the pagan rituals of Babylon that obscure and pervert the Gospel Story. Those in Thyatira refused to add to the simplicity of gospel, while in Sardis they refused to let its power be taken away. Overcomers in Philadelphia hold on to His Name, His Word and His Promise, and Laodicean overcomers are admonished to listen for His knock at the door, and open their hearts to him when they hear it.

While it’s God’s will that we be conformed to the image of Christ in our behavior, and that we go beyond salvation to achieve victory, it’s clear from Scripture that we overcome by clinging tenaciously to our child-like faith in the Lord’s completed work on the cross. The seven churches were just that, churches. Yet for the most part they introduced gospel obscuring, faith destroying doctrines that over the generations have kept untold millions off the path to eternal life. Only those who overcome by faith survive.

He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. (Rev. 21:6-7)

The Book of Revelation ends as it began, by telling us that eternal life is provided without cost to those who walk by faith in Him alone, believing that the work is done, that the Lord is the beginning and the end of their quest for eternity. These are the overcomers. Selah 08-09-08

]]>Jesus Walks on the Waterhttps://gracethrufaith.com/childrens-stories-for-adults/jesus-walks-on-the-water/
Sun, 06 Mar 2016 08:00:00 +0000https://gracethrufaith.com/uncategorized/jesus-walks-on-the-water/Here is one of the truly remarkable bits of New Covenant symbolism to be found anywhere in Scripture.

Here is one of the truly remarkable bits of New Covenant symbolism to be found anywhere in Scripture.

Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowd. After He had dismissed them, He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray. When evening came He was there alone but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. During the 4th watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw Him walking on the lake they were terrified. “It’s a ghost they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them, “Take courage. It is I. Don’t be afraid.”(Matt 14:22-27)

This story also appears in Mark 6:45-51 and John 6:15-21 and as in the feeding of the 5000, lots of additional insight can be gained by comparing all three accounts. All agree that this event followed immediately on the heels of the miraculous feeding, and that the disciples set out across the lake without Jesus, while He went up the mountainside alone to pray. If you read the preamble to the feeding of the 5000 you’ll recall that Jesus came to that remote area to be alone with His disciples to grieve the death of John the Baptist and hear the reports of their recent missionary tour. But their presence was discovered and they were followed by a huge group of people (Matt 14:13-14 & Mark 6:30). Putting aside His own needs, He ministered to the crowd, fed and dismissed them, and was now free to be alone. Perhaps sending the disciples out without Him was even an effort to divert the crowd and get some “face time” with His Father. John the Baptist was a relative (Luke 1:36) and had just been beheaded by Herod as a favor to his wife (Matt 14:1-12), and the 12 had just completed their first assignment, spreading the Gospel throughout Israel. It was time to check in.

Movement Without Progress

In Matt 14:25 we are told that it was the 4th watch of the night (3-6 AM) and from John’s account that the disciples had only covered about 3-3 1/2; miles (1/2 the distance across the lake) (John 6:19) yet they had been rowing since early evening. They were straining at the oars but not getting very far. In fact Mark tells us that Jesus was making better time walking than they were rowing and was about to pass them by when they saw Him (Mark 6:48) even though they had a head start of several hours.

Thinking He was a ghost they were terrified. But Jesus calmed them by identifying Himself. “Take courage. It is I. Don’t be afraid.” By the way, the words translated “It is I” in verse 27 can also be translated “I am”, the same words spoken to Moses from the burning bush.

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “Tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” He said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind he was afraid, and beginning to sink cried out, “Lord, save me.” Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” He said. “Why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshipped Him, saying, “Truly, You are the Son of God.” His mastery over the laws of nature had persuaded them. (Matt 14:28-33)

Let’s Get Mystical

Here is one of the truly remarkable bits of New Covenant symbolism to be found anywhere in Scripture. Let the boat and disciples represent Israel, the Sea the unbelieving world (Isa. 57:20-21) and Peter the Church. I’ll use the term Church here to mean anything from a single believer to the entire body of Christ, so it’s OK to take this personally as well as institutionally.

As the disciples had made very little progress rowing across the sea against the wind, Israel had made very little progress in their mandate to tell the world about God (Isa. 43:10-13). And as Peter was called out of the boat to walk on the water, the Church was called out of Israel to dwell in the world and spread the Gospel (Matt 28:19-20).

As long as Peter stayed focused on the Lord he was able to remain above the waves, empowered by his faith to perform a miracle and sustained by his closeness to the Lord. When he was distracted by the winds he began to sink and his life was in peril. As long as we stay focused on the Lord, we’re able to remain above the ways of this world, empowered by our faith to perform miraculous works and sustained by our closeness to Him. When we’re distracted by the winds of controversy and deceit, we begin sinking into the world’s unbelieving ways and our spiritual life is in peril.

When Peter cried out, “Lord save me,” the Lord was immediately at his side, reaching out to rescue him and bring him to safety. When we cry out, “Lord save me,” the Lord is immediately at our side, reaching out to rescue us and bring us to safety. We are never beyond His reach.

One more point. When Peter and the Lord got safely back into the boat, the wind died down and calm returned. When Israel and the Church are finally re-united in Christ, peace will reign in the world. In both cases the Lord’s gentle rebuke to Peter is appropriate. To both Israel and the Church He says, “O you of little faith. Why did you doubt?”

]]>The Way It Was Meant To Behttps://gracethrufaith.com/my-thoughts/the-way-it-was-meant-to-be/
Sun, 31 Jan 2016 08:00:00 +0000https://gracethrufaith.com/?p=9784Commentary by Jack Kelley

The Prosperity Gospel teachers are right when they say the Lord intended for us to live abundant lives. The problem is, they have misrepresented the Lord’s promise of abundance, turning it into a false teaching where the motive is greed and not gratitude. Because of this only the teachers themselves are awash in material wealth,

The Prosperity Gospel teachers are right when they say the Lord intended for us to live abundant lives. The problem is, they have misrepresented the Lord’s promise of abundance, turning it into a false teaching where the motive is greed and not gratitude. Because of this only the teachers themselves are awash in material wealth, while as a group their followers rank 2nd lowest of all American Christians in average income. (Source: Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life) The Lord intended for us to be financially secure so we could be generous to a fault, not so we could live a life of excess while ignoring the needs of others.

But that’s a story for another day. Our topic here is the way it was meant to be. In spite of current evidence to the contrary the Lord always intended for our lives to be much better than those of the pagan/secular world. I’ll show you what I mean. Here are some of the things God had Moses tell the Israelites when He was preparing them for their life in the Promised Land,

If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the LORD your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your forefathers. He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land—your grain, new wine and oil—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land that he swore to your forefathers to give you. You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor any of your livestock without young. The LORD will keep you free from every disease. He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but he will inflict them on all who hate you. (Deut. 7:12-15)

Their crops would never fail and would always be abundant. Their flocks and herds would grow in number season after season. Every marriage would produce happy healthy offspring. There would be no disease. In modern terms, this means job security and steadily increasing household wealth, in addition to being blessed with great kids and good health. In short, they would live long and happy lives, secure in the Lord’s blessings.
When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. (Deut 8:10-11)

He also admonished them never to forget the source of their prosperity,
You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today. (Deut. 8:17-18)

and not make the mistake of thinking they had created their own success. There were to be no self made men in Israel. He would bless them beyond measure, but He wanted all the credit for doing so.

At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel the loan he has made to his fellow Israelite. He shall not require payment from his fellow Israelite or brother, because the LORD’s time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. (Deut 15: 1-2)

If a person did come upon hard times and had to borrow money, any balance remaining after seven years had to be forgiven. (By the way, according to Deut. 23:19, it was also forbidden for a lender to charge interest on these loans.) There was no long term debt. And once every generation not only were all debts forgiven, but any who had sold themselves into servitude to pay their debts were set free, and any real property they had sold or lost was returned to them. There was no incentive for empire building, or enriching one’s self at the expense of the less fortunate. (Leviticus 25:8-55)

However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, if only you fully obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. (Deut. 15:4-5)

Having to go into debt because of personal hard times should have been an almost unheard of situation. He promised them uninterrupted prosperity in exchange for obedience.

If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs. Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. (Deut 15:7-8,10)

He wanted them to demonstrate their generosity toward each other out of gratitude for the generosity He had demonstrated toward them.

During the reigns of David and Solomon, these promises came true in a way never before seen on Earth. Israel was blessed with a standard of living that was the envy of every nation. Especially during the reign of Solomon, Israel was the healthiest, wealthiest, and happiest nation on Earth.

That Was Then, This Is Now

Now I know what you’re thinking. All that was in Old Testament times. But before you say that these promises were only for Israel, think about this. I’ll show you that all these promises are repeated in the New Testament, only now they’ re directed toward the Church. American Christians need to remember this. America didn’t become the wealthiest nation on Earth because the Lord promised to bless our nation like He did Israel. There is absolutely no Scripture to support such a view. America became wealthy because the freedom to pursue the Christian religion without government interference (separation of Church and State) attracted so many faith filled Christians to its shores that for all practical purposes America became the headquarters for the Church on Earth. As He had promised, God blessed these believers. It’s what came to be known as the Protestant work ethic that produced America’s wealth, and made even average Americans wealthy beyond the fondest expectations of average non-Americans.

Even a cursory study of American history will show that with few exceptions our government has always been corrupt, big business has always taken advantage of the little guy, and there’s always been an elite group lurking in the shadows, enriching themselves from the sweat of the common people. Some of our founding fathers were deists. That means they believed in God, but rejected the notion that He would ever involve Himself in human affairs. In spite of their lip service, they never expected God to bless America because deists don’t believe God blesses any nation. They think He just observes His creation from afar. It was the Church who started thinking of itself as the new Israel, not the government, (and certainly not God). What the politicians did was to play up to that false doctrine, blurring the distinction between religion and patriotism as a way to get re-elected.

America’s decline began when separation of Church and State was re-interpreted to mean that the government could not do anything that was perceived as favoring one religion over another. Having divorced itself from the Church, America no longer had any right to the blessings that had come to it because of the Church. In seizing the philosophical control of the government, non-believers succeeded only in killing the goose that been laying America’s golden eggs, and in the span of a generation or so America went from being the world’s largest lender to becoming its largest borrower. It was a stunning reversal of fortune.

But that doesn’t mean God’s promises to the Church were rendered null and void. God’s word can’t be broken by the actions of a corrupt government. Consider these.

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matt. 6:31-34)

This is the New Testament equivalent of the promises of Deut. 7:12-15. The difference is that it was not made to a nation, like it was in the Old Testament, but to the Church. And the condition is not obedience, it’s faith. When we seek the righteousness imputed to us by faith and focus on the coming Kingdom in which our true citizenship is vested, the Lord has promised to meet all our Earthly needs.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:19-21)

So many Christians live lives indistinguishable from their worldly neighbors because over 90% of Christians have a secular world view. Like their unbelieving neighbors they’re storing up treasure on Earth where the moths and rust of inflation and interest destroy, and the thieves of government and banking break in and steal.

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:37-38)

Once again, the focus here is on individuals. Instead of the polarizing (and largely futile) effort to force non-believers to live by our standards and condemn them to Hell when they don’t, each and every one of us can follow these admonitions regardless of what our country or our neighbor does. If we don’t judge others for their sins, we won’t be judged for ours. If we don’t condemn them we won’t be condemned. If we forgive others when they sin against us, we’ll be forgiven for our sins against God. And even while the entire world goes to hell in a hand basket, our generosity toward others will be matched by God’s generosity toward us.

Please remember, these admonitions were given in a relational sense not in a judicial one. We’re saved by grace because of our faith, but remaining in fellowship with God requires that we be merciful to others in the same way that He’s been merciful to us. (Matt. 18:23-35)

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:4-7)

The City of Philippi was a Roman colony, populated largely by former members of the military who had been given land there as a reward for service. They were proud of their Roman citizenship, loved being Romans, and tolerated no threats that could disrupt the status quo. They viewed the Church as such a threat, so believers were persecuted. Many Christians lost their jobs and most were ostracized by the community at large and deprived of their right to worship in peace. In the midst of this Paul, himself imprisoned for his faith, exhorted them to maintain an attitude of joy in the face of persecution, in effect saying that none of this could prevent God from meeting their needs. (Phil. 4:19)

So many ask me questions these days about how bad things will get before the Rapture. Some send me reports of concentration camps being built to house Christians and other potential “terrorists”, and of a special branch of the US army being trained for use against the civilian population in cases of public protest against government policy. Others wonder if they should start hoarding food as a hedge against coming shortages. And still others warn of a Great Depression style bank holiday that could deny us access to our money for weeks or months and cripple our economy.

My response is that the parallel between the Church in Philippi then and the Church in the world now is obvious. Like them, our destiny is not dependent on the favor of any human government, but upon the immutable promises of God. We should rejoice in our salvation, pray about everything, be fearful of nothing, and give thanks for anything. This alone will give us peace.

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. (Romans 8:15) We are the children of the Most High God, Creator of Heaven and Earth. He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32) These fears are born of our humanity, not of our spirituality.

If you want a strategy for the days ahead try this.

Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously … for God loves a cheerful giver. Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. (2 Cor. 9:6,7-10,11)

As you can see from Deut. 8:17-18, it’s God who has supplied the seed. Within your circle of acquaintances there’s someone in need. Sow generously to help meet that need and you’ll reap accordingly. First, you will experience the joy that comes from giving, followed by an increase in your store of seed. You may actually find that you’ve wound up with more at the end than you had at the start. Next you’ll discover that you’ve begun a chain reaction. As long as you keep sowing the seed the Lord will keep increasing your supply so you can sow still more. This is what it means to be made rich in every way so you can be generous on every occasion. And as a special bonus, each time you sow you’re also storing up treasure in Heaven that nothing can ever devalue. These are My Thoughts. 07-04-09

]]>Everything Is Permissiblehttps://gracethrufaith.com/topical-studies/spiritual-life/everything-is-permissible/
Wed, 07 Oct 2015 07:00:00 +0000https://gracethrufaith.com/uncategorized/everything-is-permissible/I get a fair amount of email from people who are seriously troubled by "low level bondage". What I mean by that term is that they've taken something that most would consider a fairly minor thing and either by them selves or with some "help" from friends have become totally obsessed over it.

“Everything is permissible for me”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me”—but I will not be mastered by anything.” (1 Cor. 6:12)

I get a fair amount of email from people who are seriously troubled by “low level bondage”. What I mean by that term is that they’ve taken something that most would consider a fairly minor thing and either by themselves or with some “help” from friends have become totally obsessed over it. One bites her finger nails, another is overly jealous, still another refuses to look at a woman at all for fear of having a lustful thought. Over eating, smoking, coarse language and “out of control” anger are among other common subjects.

The thing that makes these obsessions the most dangerous is that often the people afflicted by them begin to feel as though they’ve offended God by not being able to quit. This can lead to feelings of unworthiness that create problems in their Spiritual Life. They become more and more reluctant to pray about their obsessions and may even start avoiding church because they’re ashamed to be in God’s presence.

Arrogance And Fear

It’s been said that the only two possible outcomes of a life under the law are arrogance and fear. The one who becomes arrogant actually begins to think he doesn’t need a Savior. People like this are the modern day Pharisees. They murder the Messiah in their minds by denying their need for Him. The people I’m referring to above have gone to the other extreme. They have an unhealthy fear of the Lord, as if after showing His love by dying for them, He’s ready and waiting to punish every act of disobedience now that they’re His.

In both cases their quest for obedience began with wanting to please Him by acting in the manner He desires, but somewhere along the way this healthy desire became perverted into an obsession. Their joy was stolen and their victory became a defeat. You can guess how this happens. Convincing us we need to earn our position before God is a classic ploy of the enemy, and he uses it to great advantage in getting us to defeat ourselves.

When Jesus said that anger is as bad as murder and lustful thinking is as bad as adultery in Matt. 5, He wasn’t so much condemning people who get angry or experience lust, as explaining how easy it is to break the Commandments. His point was that unless our righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees, the most obsessive people in the world where the law was concerned, we will never see the Kingdom. They thought that if they avoided taking any action, no matter how small, that would violate the Law, they could be righteous enough to save themselves. But He said that just thinking about a violation was enough to condemn them. So how do we attain a righteousness that exceeds theirs? By being just as obsessive as they were? No, by having the very righteousness of God imputed to us by faith. (Romans 3:21-24)

So, by saying, “Everything is permissible for me,” Paul was telling us that we’ve been freed from the Pharisaical need to micro manage our lives in constant fear of breaking the Law. When he continued, “But I will not be mastered by anything,” he meant that no behavior would get the best of him or dominate his life. That can be viewed in two ways. If you’re totally given over to a certain behavior, then it has mastered you. But you’ve also been mastered if your life is consumed by an obsessive attempt at avoiding the behavior.

Who Did That?

Paul also spoke about this in Romans 7. He said, “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.” (Romans 7:18-20)

In his mind, Paul had a desire to live in a manner pleasing to the Lord, but in his body he couldn’t always carry it out, even though “I beat my body and make it my slave.”. (1 Cor. 9:27) It ‘s because of a defect we all have that he called his sinful nature. This defect will always trip us up. As someone once put it, “We aren’t sinners because we sin, we sin because we’re sinners.” Our sin nature insures that the more we worry about doing something wrong, the more likely we are to do it.

Paul concluded with, “So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.” (Romans 7:21-25)

This was an incredible realization for one so thoroughly schooled in the Law. It means that Paul recognized that he was in a constant battle with himself, and as far as outward appearances are concerned he would always lose. But once he received and accepted our Lord’s death as payment for his sins, the measure of his success would be in his intent, not just his behavior.

Here’s how to tell the difference. “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.” (Romans 8:5) Is our mind set on satisfying the needs of our sinful nature? Is that what we begin each day desiring? Or do we wake up in the morning with a desire to please God? It’s the dominant thought in our mind that matters, the intent of our heart, and only the Lord can determine that.

This is why Paul told the Corinthians, “Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.” (1 Cor. 4:5) And the Colossians, “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.” (Col. 2:16)

Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly”. (John 10:10) Does walking around with your head down for fear of looking at a woman, or kicking yourself all over creation for giving in to a craving, or being ashamed to show your face in church sound like the abundant life to you?

If obsessing over a certain kind of behavior will actually increase the probability of that behavior manifesting itself, and if it’s the intent of our heart that really matters anyway, doesn’t it make sense to take the emphasis off the behavior and place it on making sure the intent of our heart is right? Doing this accomplishes two good things. It will restore our relationship with God, helping us to regain our victory, and it will make the manifestation of the behavior less likely by depriving it of its importance. Once we’ve done that, we’ll be able to see the less and less frequent behavioral slip-ups for what they are, slip-ups, not like us, departures from our norm. And like Paul learned to do, and God always has done, we’ll be able to say, “It’s no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.”

That realization will place our feet back on the path to victory and restore our joy as we see that we’re neither being mastered by the behavior nor by the fear of it. Realizing that by His once for all time sacrifice, He has forgiven us for all the sins of our life, we’ll finally be able to forgive ourselves as well.

As we do, that original joy of our salvation will return and we’ll long to be in His presence again. As we delight ourselves in the Lord, He’ll give us the desire of our heart, to live a life pleasing to Him. (Psalm 37:4) Selah 08-04-07

As I’ve said earlier in this series, I am not part of the “word of faith” movement and I am not a charismatic faith healer. I am an evangelical Christian who takes the Bible very seriously, believing it means just what it says.

As I’ve said earlier in this series, I am not part of the “word of faith” movement and I am not a charismatic faith healer. I am an evangelical Christian who takes the Bible very seriously, believing it means just what it says.

My goal in writing this series was to see what the Bible actually says about healing, as opposed to what people think it says, and to see if I could find any reasons for the disconnect between what it says our experience should be and what it actually is. My research identified several reasons, which I described in the previous three segments.

In this concluding segment, I want to explore what the Bible says about who we are in Christ, and by that I mean what is the extent of our authority in Him.

We all know our destiny is to be Kings and Priests in the Lord’s Kingdom, but what are we between now and then? Let’s find out.

Ambassadors Of Christ

The fact that we’re destined to be Kings and Priests makes us a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9) and having been adopted as God’s own children (Galatians 4:4-7) confirms that we’re part of the ultimate royal family.

In royal families the princes often serve as ambassadors and that’s exactly what Paul called us. Using a Greek word he only applied to us (2 Cor. 5:20) and himself (Ephes. 6:20), he called us ambassadors (representatives) of Christ sent with the ministry of reconciliation to reconcile men to God (2 Cor. 5:18-20). Through the cross, God has made peace with His creation (Colossians 1:19) and as His ambassadors we are called to explain the terms of His peace to all the nations, in other words to share the gospel with them.

When an ambassador is appointed to the country where he will serve, he presents his credentials to the host country. His credentials show he has the authority to act on behalf of his home country’s leaders.

When Jesus sent His original 12 disciples out to minister to the people, He gave them credentials to show they had the authority to act on His behalf. He said, “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons” (Matt. 10:8).

Later He sent out 72 others telling them to heal the sick in every town that welcomed them (Luke 10:9). And just before He left, after reminding them that all authority in heaven and on earth had been given to Him, He told His followers of that day and ours, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:18-19).

To show that we have the authority to act as His ambassadors today, we have also been given the ability to do the things Jesus did. He said, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing” (John 14:12). Notice He didn’t say, “whoever in this generation” or “whoever until the New Testament is complete” but “whoever believes in me.” Prefacing His statement with the phrase “Very truly I tell you” indicates He was being as honest and direct as He could possibly be. That means whether you know it or not, you have the authority as the Lord’s ambassador to do the things Jesus did.

We who believe in Jesus have been authorized to heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons, preach the gospel, and make disciples of all men, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We don’t need anyone’s permission to do these things, they are part of our job, even part of our responsibility. They are what we’ve been sent to do, just as they are what Jesus was sent to do.

Jesus didn’t pray to His Father, asking Him to heal someone if it be His will, He commanded the person to be healed. He commanded demons to depart. He commanded dead people to come to life. He did this because He had the authority to do so.

The disciples didn’t pray to Jesus or the Father, asking for healing on behalf of someone. In Jesus’ name they commanded the sick to be healed, the lame to walk, the demons to depart, the dead to rise. They also had the authority to do so.

What Can I Do For You, Lord?

So many times I’ve received emails from people who say, “I’ve prayed for God to show me what He wants me to do with my life. I keep listening, but I never hear any thing back. What’s missing?”

What’s missing is that He’s waiting for us to do what He’s already commissioned us to do as one of His ambassadors.

“Heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons, preach the gospel, and make disciples of all men, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

Why do we expect Him to give us another job when we’ve yet to begin the one he’s already given us?

It doesn’t matter how busy you are or how important your job is, you could find at least a little time to begin acting as an ambassador of the Lord by doing some of the things He has commissioned you to do. Even if you could only commit a few hours a week to this, you would be serving the One who gave His life to redeem yours.

Imagine, if you can, how different the world would be if each of us spent just a little time each week in our role as an ambassador of Christ. Instead of being known primarily for what we hate, wouldn’t the Church be better known for Who we love? Isn’t that what the Lord wants? (John 13:34-35).

One final word about ambassadors. They don’t try to impose their country’s culture or values on the country they’ve been sent to. And they certainly don’t try to take it over. They know they are guests who serve a special purpose.

In the same way it’s not the Church’s job to take over the world or impose the Christian culture upon it. We are also guests who serve a special purpose. Jesus told the 72 that if they entered a town and were not made to feel welcome, they should leave, shaking the dust from their feet as they did (Luke 10:10-11). And Paul said it’s not our responsibility to judge those outside the Church (1 Cor. 5:12). Our job is to show them something better by our actions.

Now before you say that to be an ambassador for Christ you would have to leave your home and become a missionary in a foreign land, consider this. Our citizenship is in heaven and we eagerly await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:20). No matter where you live on earth, you are only a visitor here, so you could start right where you are.

Our purpose is to introduce the very special benefits of our home country (heaven) to those who live on earth and influence them to change their citizenship. And how do we do that? The way Jesus told us to.

“Heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons, preach the gospel, and make disciples of all men, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

If you’ve never done anything like his before, you shouldn’t expect to do all these things successfully right out of the box. For example, just as it takes faith to be healed, it takes faith to heal others. Most of us don’t have that kind of faith because we’ve never developed it, and we’ve never developed it because it has never occurred to us that we could.

But there are thousands of ways to show the Gospel to people. All it takes to get started is to make a commitment to do something. And with prayer, study, and practice, we can all learn to do all these things because we have all been given the authority to do them. It’s who we are in Christ. 09-12-15

P.S. Now that you’ve read the final segment of this series, I would highly recommend that you go back and read the entire series from start to finish in one sitting to get the complete perspective on what the Bible says about healing. Here’s a link to the first part, What Does The Bible Say About Healing

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. (Ephes. 5:25)

This command is unique in that it has no parallel in human relationships. Wives are not commanded to love their husbands this way, or even at all. Children are not commanded to love their parents. But husbands are commanded to love their wives, and what’s more, this is not an ordinary love, but an extra-ordinary one. We’re to use the example of Christ and His Church as the standard. Think about that. The Lord came down off His throne, confined Himself to a human body, and offered that body as a love gift to the Church. Not because the Church had done anything to deserve it, but so the Church could see the extent of His love.

The Church is His consuming desire. He lived so that she might come into existence and be set apart. He longs for her to know how much He loves her. His every word and action brought her honor and expressed His devotion to her. He dedicated Himself to her and covered all her imperfections with His love. And He gave His life for her.

Truth be told, the Church has rarely if ever deserved or even appreciated such a love. Within the lifetimes of the Apostles, the Church had already drifted off into a pattern of religious works, forsaking her first love in the process. (Rev. 2:4-5)

The Lord loves the Church because He’s decided to do so. Day by day, moment by moment, He makes a conscious decision to love His Church. Not just when the Church has done something to deserve it, but even when, as is most often the case, the Church has done something to prove herself unworthy. He loves the Church because He’s chosen to, irrespective of merit. That’s the standard.

Let’s Get Personal

My wife has to be one of the easiest women in the world to love. I know that a lot of you guys feel that way about your wives, so you know what a blessing that is. Beautiful, happy, and energetic, she lights up any place she walks in to. When she enters a room, men and women alike are naturally drawn to her. People look at us and see the relationship they would like to have, and I’m often asked to teach them how to have such a good marriage as ours. I don’t know what I’d have done if I had been called to love someone who treated me the way the Church treats the Lord. I guess He knows I could never do it and that’s why He’s given me Samantha.

But recently I’ve discovered just how much of a commitment is required to love even someone as easy to love as she is, and I’ve learned anew that love is a verb, not just a feeling or emotion. Even the strongest marriage can come under attack if it’s taken for granted or ignored. With our ministry requiring more and more time and attention, and with the ever present and often conflicting demands of family, I discovered that I haven’t been paying enough attention to my primary responsibility, loving my wife.

As I imagine is true with most men, I first noticed the problem when I began feeling a lack of love and affection directed at me. I discovered that while I had become busy with ministry work, she had become more focused on our 4 year old. Without realizing it or even intending it, each of us had found a new source of love. We were living parallel, instead of interconnected, lives. The two were no longer one, in violation of Genesis 2:24. And as hard as this is to believe, it happened even though my office is in our home and neither one of us ever goes anyplace, or even takes a meal, without the other. We’re always in close proximity, yet we were hardly ever together. Believe me, it’s a real wake up call to realize that you’ve been ignoring the love of your life. What would I ever do without her?

Cultivating A Good Marriage

I think a marriage is like a garden. If you want a garden to sustain you, you have to continually nurture it. You can’t just plant the seeds and then ignore it. Do that and you’ll get weeds instead of succulent fruits and vegetables. Leave even a fruitful garden untended for very long and you’ll find it’s also vulnerable to attack by predators who want to steal the fruits of your labor. And once in a while, a seed you didn’t know you had planted can begin to grow unnoticed until it blossoms into something beautiful but poisonous. Every gardener knows that the work begins before anything grows and continues unabated until the harvest.

And so it is with marriage. It’s a labor of love that begins before the wedding and ends when death parts us. Most of us know how to do the first part pretty well. It’s called the engagement. It’s exciting to begin planning and preparing for a future together, taking something that exists only in our imaginations and turning it into reality. But because we’ve been taught that the goal is to get married, it’s natural stop paying such close attention shortly after the wedding. We don’t realize that the real goal is to be married. If we worked as hard at being married as we did at getting married there would be many more happy marriages.

Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. (1 Peter 3:7)

And while we’ve been taught that marriage is the stable, permanent phase of a relationship, it’s really very transitional. Left to itself, marriage is simply the phase between engagement and divorce. The way we prevent this from becoming true in our case to make day to day decisions to stay as close to the engagement phase of the relationship as possible. That means we still date our wives, hold the door for them, compliment them on their wardrobes, buy them little things for no reason, listen to what they’re saying, ask their opinions and preferences, spend quality time together and in general put their needs above ours. In other words, love them. This not only pleases our wives, but according to Peter makes the Lord more attentive to our prayers as well. Everybody wins.

Two Paths To Fulfillment

The Lord accused the church of being so busy doing His work that they had no time left for Him. We can become so busy building a life for our wives that we have no time for them. And I’ve never met a man who wasn’t perplexed when his wife didn’t accept his excuse for being away so much. “I’m only doing it for us.” We don’t understand that while our path to fulfillment lies in personal achievement, theirs is in relationships. If we’re to give ourselves up for them, that means applying our need for achievement to building and maintaining a great relationship. That way we’ll both be happier.

Obviously, if you’ve built a lifestyle that requires 2 or more incomes to support it, you’re in danger of trading long term love and respect for short term material gratification. There simply won’t be enough time or energy for both income production and relationship protection. It’s another good reason to scale back while you have the choice. When the hard times come, as they’re giving every indication of doing, you’ll find that it’s much easier to get along with out a bunch of stuff that you won’t have time for any way, than it is to get along without having someone you love at your side to help you through. Remember, love is not just something you feel, it’s something you do. Love is a verb. Selah 06-07-08

I’ve studied what the Bible says about healing for years and years, and two things remain clear to me. One is that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Another is He said anyone with faith in Him would do the things He did (John 14:12).

I’ve studied what the Bible says about healing for years and years, and two things remain clear to me. One is that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Another is He said anyone with faith in Him would do the things He did (John 14:12). But the results we’re experiencing in much of the Western Church today are far different from those attributed to Him in the Bible. A logical mind can only conclude that something has changed. Since it can’t be Him, that leaves only us.

I’ve concluded that many of us have formed our opinions about healing either from hearsay or personal observation rather than God’s word, while the Bible tells us to live by faith and not by sight (2 Cor 5:7). To prove my point, count the number of times when you’ve personally witnessed someone being healed. Not heard about, but personally witnessed. If you’re like most people you won’t know of very many, maybe not any.

Maybe we don’t see people being healed because we no longer expect to. Somewhere along the way there’s been a disconnect to the point where many believers are convinced that without giving us any warning God simply stopped healing people. Some of those who promote this idea say it happened once the New Testament had been compiled. They base this on 1 Cor. 13:8-10 which says in part,

“where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.For we know in part and we prophesy in part,but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.”

The Greek word for perfection in this passage also means complete, so they interpret what Paul wrote to mean that once the New Testament was complete, the gifts of the Spirit ceased. The problem I have with this interpretation is that it never appeared anywhere in the Church record until about 1900 AD when it was used as a rebuttal against the appearance of Spiritual gifts in the Pentecostal movement. Many protestant denominations (those where Spiritual gifts are not in evidence) hold this view today. It should not surprise us that supernatural healing does not occur in those denominations.

Then there are believers who call themselves mid-Acts dispensationalists. They assert that healing and other Spiritual gifts were signs to the Jews that Gentiles could receive the Holy Spirit, and as soon as Israel was officially set aside and the gospel went to the Gentiles, these signs ceased. They say the epistle of James, which contains the most direct promise of healing through prayer anywhere in the New testament (James 5:14-16), was not intended for us today but was written only to Jewish believers in the early days of the Church. Some of these folks hedge their bets by assuring us that God can heal people and sometimes does, so we can still pray for healing. But we shouldn’t be surprised it it doesn’t happen. Our healing may not come until the resurrection. At least they leave the door open for God to heal someone if He decides to.

Got Faith?

Many of us think all believers have lots of faith, so if we don’t see anyone being healed it must be that the Lord no longer heals people. But we only have those around us with which to compare ourselves, and maybe today’s average person’s faith is not as strong as we think. For example, do you know anybody alive today whose faith could qualify them for inclusion in Hebrews 11, called “The Hall of Faith” by many?

Here are a few who could qualify so you can see how high the standard is. Abraham agreed to sacrifice his son, even though God’s promise to him had not come true. He reasoned that God would raise Isaac from the dead rather than break His promise. Elijah challenged the 400 priests of Baal to a public test of faith before a crowd of thousands. As an old man Daniel faced the lions all night long as they got hungrier by the minute. According to tradition, John preached the Gospel while being lowered into a cauldron of boiling oil, and then kept on preaching while it bubbled away around him. Paul walked into city after city knowing that he would likely be beaten severely enough to require supernatural healing before he left.

Could even our most successful “men of God” pull off anything like that today? Name the mega pastor, Christian author, or televangelist whose work would qualify them if Hebrews 11 was being written today. Now think of the growing number of pastors who won’t give an altar call to their own congregation for fear of offending someone!

Do you suppose Jesus was looking at mankind’s steadily weakening faith between His day and ours when He asked, “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). Faith grows from a day by day dependence on God to fulfill his promises to us. In the West, we’ve had things so good for so long that we haven’t needed even a faith the size of a mustard seed to prosper.

Here’s How It All Began

When preparing the Children of Israel for entry into the promised land, God had Moses tell them these things.

He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land-your grain, new wine and oil-the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land that he swore to your forefathers to give you. You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor any of your livestock without young. The LORD will keep you free from every disease. He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but he will inflict them on all who hate you. (Deut. 7:13-15)

With nowhere else to turn we look to God when we have nothing and are struggling, and He blesses us. When I first became a believer, I concluded that one of the most popular products my company sold was not pleasing to God so I stopped selling it. Finding a way to make up for this huge loss in revenue was stressful, so I began getting up early in the morning to pray for guidance and give thanks for the blessings I’d received. Each morning I spent an hour on my knees in the living room before anyone else got up. The Lord blessed me through that time and brought me Christian clients with needs I could meet in a way that pleased Him. The lost revenue was more than replaced.

Remember Who Got You Where You Are

Someone wrote that religion gives birth to prosperity and the daughter consumes the mother. I believe he meant that God has always promised abundance to those who follow Him, but eventually man will make prosperity his religion and abandon God. Here’s how God warned His people against this.

Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God. (Deut. 8:11-14)

You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today. (Deut. 8:17-18)

As the blessings multiply and we become more secure it usually becomes harder to take the time to pray. We begin to feel that we no longer need to spend valuable time asking the Lord for direction. Also our confidence grows and we begin to believe our success is self generated. That means we don’t spend as much time giving thanks. As I got busier and began traveling more, it was harder to devote that hour each day so I began trying to do two things at once, praying while I exercised or while I drove to work. It wasn’t the same, and I saw how easy it would be to justify stopping altogether.

I was saved from this line of thinking by a series of contracts with out of town clients the Lord sent me. They gave me an uninterrupted hour each day on flights to various cities in the Western US when I could pray and read my Bible. In a 10 year period I logged nearly 2 million miles into my frequent flier account, almost all of them on flights 60-90 minutes long. I often wonder how different things would have been had I simply convinced myself that I was too busy to pray any more, or that my success was due to my own talent and skill so I no longer needed to thank the Lord or seek His direction.

It Doesn’t Take Much

The generation of Israelites who came into the promised land experienced many of the most faith building miracles of all time. But in Judges 2:10 we read this incredible statement.

After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel.

Within a span of one generation the people had forgotten the Lord and the powerful miracles He had performed for them. The Book of Judges records that period as one of the lowest points in their history. It shows us that it doesn’t take much to destroy the faith of a nation. For Israel it only took one generation of neglecting the Word of God.

With individuals it happens even faster. Stop praying for a day or two and you’ll miss it. Stop for a month and you’ll forget it. Oh, you’ll still be going to Church and may even be involved in a project or two, or serve on a committee or board. Maybe you’ll go around looking for people to minister to and pray for. You may even refer to yourself as a follower of Jesus, not just a believer.

Sometimes we call this “maturing in the faith”, meaning we’re not as dependent on God as new believers typically are, but have developed the ability to function more independently. But the most powerful believers among us never “mature” that way. They never get to the point where they don’t ask for the Lord’s guidance or feel the need to express their gratitude. They never substitute works for faith. Remember, Paul said everything that was written in the past was written to teach us (Romans 15:4). If we don’t learn the lessons of Israel’s history, we’ll be doomed to repeat them.

We Need More Exercise

In all likelihood we’re entering a time when the world we grew up in will be no more. Our security will be shaken, our freedoms will be restricted, and our faith will be tested. Some of us will find ourselves back at square one after it’s too late to start over. Now’s the time to begin exercising our faith.

The faith to be saved was a gift from God (Ephes. 2:8) and keeping you saved is His job (2 Cor. 1:21-22). But you can exercise your faith to make it stronger by reading your Bible daily (Romans 10:17) and talking with the Lord about what you’ve read, asking for guidance in how to apply it. Faith only gets stronger when it’s accompanied by action (James 2:17). After praying for direction, do something you believe God is calling you to do. You can begin with something as little as talking about Him with someone, helping out in a food kitchen or a rescue mission, or visiting a sick person. He’ll point you to bigger things from there. Each time you take a step of faith, your faith will grow to prepare you for the next step. As your faith grows you’ll be more likely to witness a miracle, even a miraculous healing.

Above all, pray about everything, be fearful of nothing, and give thanks for anything. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:7). You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 01-17-15.

]]>https://gracethrufaith.com/topical-studies/spiritual-life/will-he-find-faith-on-the-earth/feed/7Psalm 133https://gracethrufaith.com/the-psalms/psalm-133/
Wed, 03 Oct 2012 00:01:30 +0000https://gracethrufaith.com/?p=13159How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robes.

How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robes.

It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.

The average congregation just floats along most of the time. Each Sunday is like the one before, different enough that it can’t be called a re-run, but similar enough that it doesn’t threaten anyone’s sense of security.

But every now and then a congregation will be galvanized into action by some great goal and for a while a careful observer will be able to spot the different gifts of the spirit being put into action. In 1 Cor. 12:12-26 Paul described how the many parts become one body as each individual makes his or her unique contribution to the whole. It doesn’t seem to matter to anyone that some functions are more honorable than others, each one is undertaken with a unity of purpose. Even the most ordinary of tasks are accomplished with an eye toward ensuring the overall success of the venture. For that time, at least, good enough is not good enough. Only the best will do. And the finished product is a work of art, exceeding the expectations of the participants, equal in value to far more than the sum of its parts.

I’ve been blessed to have been involved in several situations like this, and I know many of you have, too. In each case individual effort is contributed with humility and the glory goes to God. In these instances, the Lord shows us the power of unity in the body, and it’s like nothing else we ever experience because we know He’s in the midst of it.

]]>Psalm 103https://gracethrufaith.com/the-psalms/psalm-103/
Wed, 15 Feb 2012 02:01:23 +0000https://gracethrufaith.com/?p=4019Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits- who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,

Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits- who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.

As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children- with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. Praise the LORD, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. Praise the LORD, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the LORD, O my soul.

As first revealed by theologian D. L. Cooper, the Golden Rule of Bible Interpretation is this. “When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense; therefore, take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning unless the facts of the immediate context, studies in the light of related passages, and axiomatic and fundamental truths indicate clearly otherwise. God in revealing His Word neither intends nor permits the reader to be confused. He wants His children to understand.”

If ever a passage of Scripture deserved to be interpreted in this manner, it’s Psalm 103. The message is clear, and appears to have neither national nor chronological limitations. God forgives all our sins and heals all our diseases. He redeems our life from the pit and crowns us with love and compassion. He satisfies our desires with good things so that our youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

The context of these verses is so “New Testament” that there’s no way to sustain a claim that David wrote this to Israel alone or for a time long past, and we need to believe that it means exactly what it says. In fact it would be hard to find a better, more concise description of what the Lord has done for us anywhere in the New Testament, and here it is tucked away in the Psalms.

And there’s absolutely no compelling reason to interpret those words any other way than literally either. It’s a timeless promise from the Lord Who loves us, and for the most part the rest of Psalm 103 lists the reasons why we should receive it just as David wrote it.

This is another example of the truth of Hebrews 13:8. “Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever.” From before the foundation of the world when He agreed to die for us (1 Peter 1:20), to the time “when time shall be no more” He is never changing. His promises are clear and His word is good.

That’s the nature of the God we worship, and for us “that’s a good thing”. We’re staking our eternal destiny on His promise that even after we’ve died and it’s too late to change anything, He’ll still be there to fulfill every commitment He’s ever made to us. We are so blessed to have a God Who both promises and performs. As He told Isaiah, “What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do.”(Isaiah 46:11)

]]>Psalm 63https://gracethrufaith.com/the-psalms/psalm-63/
Wed, 11 May 2011 00:05:58 +0000https://gracethrufaith.com/uncategorized/psalm-63/O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life,

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.

They who seek my life will be destroyed; they will go down to the depths of the earth. They will be given over to the sword and become food for jackals. But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by God’s name will praise him, while the mouths of liars will be silenced.

According to Proverbs 23:7 the beliefs that dominate our thoughts not only reflect who we are but help to shape and mold us into the person we become. James Allen’s timeless classic “As a Man Thinketh” is based on the passage. In it he contends that our thoughts literally make us what we are.

I prefer a more modern illustration I first heard from Pastor Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel. “We become like the god we worship,” he said. For example, if the desire for certain possessions so dominates our thoughts that they become like objects of worship, we become materialistic. Preoccupation with wealth can make us greedy or even dishonest. Obsession with self leads to narcissism and selfishness. A passion for food and drink can result in gluttony. The list goes on. Without any conscious effort on our part, we’ll adopt the characteristics of the thoughts that dominate our minds.

So it follows then, that as we fill our minds with thoughts of the Lord, we become more like Him. Without any real effort at change, we’ll begin acting more like He would. This is what Paul described as the fruit of the Spirit in his letter to the Galatians. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are promised to the one whose thoughts are focused on the Lord. (Galatians 5:22-23) Not to mention the Crown of Righteousness that all who have longed for His return will receive in His Kingdom. (2 Tim. 4:8)

The human mind is like a garden. If we don’t care what grows in our garden, it doesn’t matter what gets planted. Weeds will grow by themselves. But if we want delicious fruit and vegetables we have to root up the weeds, and then plant, fertilize, water, and cultivate plants of our choosing. And not just for a day, but for the entire growing season.

So it is with our minds. To fulfill Paul’s admonition in Ephesians 4:22-23 to put off your old self which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires and be made new in the attitudes of your mind we have to root up the old thoughts, and then plant, fertilize, water, and cultivate new ones. We do this by consciously replacing our old worldly thoughts with new spiritual ones, by reading scripture, listening to Christian music, and praying. And not just for a day, but for our entire lives. As we do we become more and more like the God we worship.

This is why the Lord told the Israelites to spend time discussing His Commandments. “Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk upon the road, when you lie down and when you get up,” He said. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and upon your gates.(Deut. 6:7-9) He wanted them to become more like Him.

This is also why David composed poems to the Lord, sang His praises, and thought about Him constantly. He was a man after God’s own heart. How about you?

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Our Lord is like the good shepherd who defends his flock from the ravenous wolves lurking in the shadows. Given any opportunity they’ll strike, but He fends them off with sling and arrow. Have you ever heard of a sheep attacking an enemy or even defending itself from attack? Neither have I. I don’t think they can. Their enemies are just too powerful for them. And did you know that sheep are prone to wandering? That’s why they need shepherds, and believe me it’s a full time job. But in spite of the shepherd’s best efforts the sheep do wander off from time to time, get themselves in trouble and have to be rescued.

We’d think it ludicrous for the sheep to blame the shepherd, but that’s the way we, who are sheep, treat the Lord our Shepherd. We wander off, get into trouble and have to be rescued. “Why did You let me do this Lord?” we complain, blaming Him. Unlike sheep who have no freedom of choice and no ability to learn from their mistakes, we are supposed to get smarter through our experience. We’re supposed to know how powerful our enemy is and how helpless we are, and depend on our Lord for protection. That includes listening to Him when he alerts us of impending danger, or warns us not to wander.

But with the patience of a shepherd, He rounds us up, dusts us off, binds up our wounds, and gently sets us down among the flock again, knowing that soon we’ll forget the folly of wandering and off we’ll go, and He’ll have to do it all over again. His mercies are new every morning, His patience never ending, His love never failing. Good thing, huh?

I’ve gotten a raft of comments on my comparison of John 20:22 with Acts 2:1-4 in my answer to a recent question. Some were more diplomatic than others in suggesting my understanding of these verses leaves something to be desired.

I’ve gotten a raft of comments on my comparison of John 20:22 with Acts 2:1-4 in my answer to a recent question. Some were more diplomatic than others in suggesting my understanding of these verses leaves something to be desired. So let’s take another look and see how these two passages are alike and how they’re different. We’ll take John 20:22 first, in the context of the passage.

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” (John 20:19-23)

Some have suggested that Jesus was only pretending here, his breath meant to imitate the sound the Holy Spirit would make when He really came 50 days later, and not investing the disciples with the Holy Spirit. But Acts 2:2 says the sound of the Holy Spirit was much different. “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.” It’s like comparing the sound of blowing out birthday candles to the sound of a hurricane.

And the Greek word for receive in John 20:22 is lambano and means to take or lay hold of something in order to use it, or carry it away. It denotes permanence and possession. The same word is used in Acts 8:17 referring to the believers in Samaria when they finally realized they had received the Holy Spirit after Peter and John arrived. I don’t believe Jesus was pretending, any more than Peter and John were. I think the disciples who were present were receiving the Holy Spirit just like it says.

Jesus met with the disciples several times after that night, speaking with them about the Kingdom of God. (Acts 1:3)

On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:4-5)

The Greek word for baptize literally means to be temporarily immersed, usually in water. Jesus explained that while that was the case with John’s baptism, soon the disciples would be temporarily immersed in the Holy Spirit, giving them miraculous power.

So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:6-8)

This gift was not the receipt of the Holy Spirit, which had already happened, but the power to do miraculous works. Remember, He had previously told them the Holy Spirit had been with them and would be in them (John 14:17). This had been accomplished. Now He was saying the Holy spirit would come upon them.

This is seen in the use of the Greek word eperchomai which is translated to come upon or come on. It means to over power someone, or take them over. The same Greek word described the two instances recorded in Acts of Gentiles speaking in tongues. In Acts 10:44 the Holy spirit came upon the Gentiles listening to Peter at Cornelius’ house. In Acts 19:6 the Holy Spirit came upon a group of Gentiles when Paul baptized them in the name of Jesus. I believe both of these events were temporary situations intended to show the Jewish leadership that the Holy Spirit could come upon Gentiles as well as Jews.

Understanding the difference between receiving the Holy Spirit (lambano) and having Him come upon you (eperchomai) helps clear up some of the confusion surrounding these verses.

And Now For Acts 2

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:1-4)

The word for filled also means to be temporarily taken over. And men had been filled with the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament as well. Examples are Joseph (Genesis 41:38) when he interpreted Pharaoh’s dream, and Bezalel of the tribe of Judah who was given supernatural skill in designing and working the gold, silver, and bronze ornamentation for the tabernacle (Exodus 31:2-4).

Both Zechariah and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist, were filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:41, 1:67) over 30 years before Pentecost. In addition, people are also said to be filled with wrath (Luke 4:28), fear (Luke 5:26), wonder (Acts 3:10), etc. In every case, the same Greek word is used. And in every case, it describes a temporary condition.

So being filled with the Holy Spirit did not originate with Pentecost, nor did having Him come upon us. But don’t get the idea that temporary means it only happens once for a little while and then it’s gone for good. Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit in Acts 2. But then he was filled again in Acts 4:8 and once more in Acts 4:31. Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit in Acts 9:17 and again Acts 13:9. It can happen every time there’s a need.

Here’s the point I made in my answer. When we first come to faith, the Holy Spirit is sealed within us as a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance (Ephes. 1:13-14) and will remain there as long as we live on this Earth. The disciples experienced this on the evening of the Lord’s resurrection, and ever since then every believer has had the same experience. But from time to time the Holy Spirit will come upon us and we will be temporarily filled with His power to perform a miracle on His behalf. Every believer can also experience this. It doesn’t require a special ceremony, and it doesn’t only happen in some churches. It can happen at any time to any believer who makes himself or herself available in faith. It has happened to me and it can happen to you. Selah 03-27-10

Last week’s question on whether homosexual believers will be taken in the Rapture or not has really sparked some interesting, even emotional comment.

As we begin this study, let’s clarify a few points. Living a homosexual lifestyle is living in sin. Both Old and New Testaments make that clear. But all believers are sinners, and we’re all living in sin of some kind. Half of us who’ve been married have also been divorced. The percentage of Christian women who’ve had abortions is the same as for non-believers. Many of us have sins we simply cannot stop committing. (These are sometimes called besetting sins.) Some don’t really want to stop committing these sins, but many have “cried out to the Lord in sack cloth and ashes” for deliverance and still can’t stop.

This is not a new phenomenon. Some of the great heroes of the Bible had sin problems they couldn’t control. Moses had trouble with his temper, David had a weakness for women, and we’ll get to Paul in a minute.

Just Do It

If you don’t have any besetting sins, praise the Lord. But dismissing someone else’s problem by saying they should just stop sinning shows an appalling lack of sensitivity. This is especially true since millions of believers have spent years trying unsuccessfully to stop doing things like smoking, drinking to excess, watching porn, etc. Others can’t control their anger, lust, appetite, or envy. Would you deny all of them participation to the rapture? Maybe the next time you hear of someone struggling with sin you should take some time to ponder the old saying, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.” And if you don’t have any sins you can’t keep yourself from committing, why are you sinning at all?

If you’re part of the vast majority that does struggle regularly with a besetting sin, you can understand the plight of others like you. Paul had this in mind when he wrote Romans 7:14-25.

We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do-this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

Please read this carefully. Judging by the standards of some believers I’ve received eMails from lately, Paul has identified himself as an unrepentant sinner in these verses, because he continues to do things he knows he shouldn’t be doing. They would say that he’s either not qualified to go in the rapture or will spend the Millennium in the outer darkness, learning how to be an overcomer. (Don’t get me started on that one.)

But Paul’s reaction was totally different. He said that when he was sinning, he was not being himself. In other words, it wasn’t Paul who was sinning but the sin nature that dwelt within him. He told the Corinthians that when they accepted the Lord they became a new creation. He said that in God’s eyes the person they had been before was gone and they were now a new person altogether. He said that because Jesus, who knew no sin, had been made sin for them, they were now as righteous as God Himself. (2 Cor 5:17,21)

Here’s What Paul Meant.

When Jesus went to the cross He took all the sins of our lives with Him. (Col. 2:13-14) That means past, present, and future, from the very first to the very last. This is one of the things that makes the New Covenant so much better than the Old. Every year on Yom Kippur, Israel’s past sins were atoned for and the slate was wiped clean. But they immediately began sinning again and so the next year they had to do it all over, and the year after that and the year after that, and so on. That’s because it’s impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin (Hebr. 10:3-4)

But Jesus offered one sacrifice for all time, past, present, and future. If you’re born again, every sin of your life has been identified and atonement has been made. That’s what Jesus meant when He said, “It is finished.” (John 19:30) All that’s left is for you to accept and believe. If you stop and think for just a moment, you’ll see that it’s the only way it could be, because none of us can completely stop sinning, and there’s no sacrifice left. Either the Lord’s blood has paid for all the sins of our life, or else it was an exercise in futility, and we’re all irretrievably lost.

This is why with all of Paul’s exhortations to go beyond salvation and strive for victory over our sin nature, he never threatened us with the loss of our salvation for failing. In fact, one of his strongest pleas was that we strive to live up to that which we have already attained. (Phil 3:16) In other words, become in fact what we already are in faith. But even he couldn’t do it.

So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. (Romans 7:21-25)

Here Paul tells us that the harder he tried to “be good” the more his sin nature resisted. He loved the Law of God but his sin nature made him a prisoner of sin. What a hopeless place to be, condemned to a life of disappointing the One he wanted most to please. But thanks be to the Lord Jesus who rescues us from our body of death. The new Paul, the Paul that God saw, had the motives and intentions of someone who tries to please God, even though his sin nature prevented him from carrying them out. And God, who alone can judge the intent of our hearts, chose to see only the new Paul, all of whose sins had been atoned for at the cross. He had been separated as far from his sins as the East is separated from the West. (Psalm 103:12) As far as God was concerned the new Paul never sinned at all. It was the sin dwelling in him that did it.

And then the summary statement, Romans 8:1. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

One More Time

As I said earlier, living a homosexual lifestyle is living in sin. Many believers have agonized over this problem. As one who hasn’t experienced it, I can’t even begin to grasp its magnitude. They know that a just God can not condemn His children for behavior they have no control over. And yet they’ve spent years in shame and humiliation trying unsuccessfully to stop committing their besetting sin. Some finally succumb to the false conclusion that God must have made them that way. Others rebel as a way to vent their frustration. And can you imagine how much harder their challenge becomes as society in general and even many who claim to be part of the Church affirm and encourage their behavior as being nothing more than an alternative lifestyle, no better or worse than any other? Contrast that attitude with others in the Church who treat them like lepers, sinners beyond redemption. Neither opinion is correct, so what is their true circumstance? Why can’t anyone tell them? What happened to Romans 8:1? Is it only Jesus who can forgive a sin without fear of leaving the impression that he condones it?

He commanded us to love one another as He loved us, and to forgive each other as He forgave us. He was talking about how we should treat each other as believers. He never spoke a single word that encourages the condemnation of a brother or sister. On the contrary, He spoke against it. (Matt. 7:1-2 & Luke 6:37) As far as salvation is concerned, He said all who ask will receive, (Matt. 7:7) that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13), and that who so ever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

This is where the Lord’s faithfulness comes in. Having agonized on the cross for every sinful act of their lives, He could no more abandon them now than He did then. He gave them the faith to believe that He would save them (Ephes. 2:8-9) and has accepted responsibility for keeping them saved. (2 Cor. 1:21-22) When they fall into the pit of despair, He comes to pull them out. (Matt. 12:11-12) When they wander away from the flock, he goes in search of them. (Luke 15:4) Having begun a good work in them, He is faithful and will carry it on to completion, (Phil. 1:6) not losing a single one of them along the way. (John 6:38-40).

On the day of the Rapture every one who has trusted Him for salvation will disappear in the twinkling of an eye. The only thing the Church will leave behind is our accursed sin nature that’s prevented us from living the life we desire. The new bodies we’ll receive have neither flaw nor blemish, so millions of raptured believers will finally be free of their besetting sins.

None of this is meant to condone sin or diminish the destructive effect it has on our lives. Nor is it meant to say that we should learn to be comfortable around it. And if you’re thinking that they’re getting a free ride for their sin, consider that nearly every health, accident, or mortality statistic demonstrates that calling the homosexual lifestyle “gay” is a cruel joke indeed. This is especially true among males, where life expectancy is decades shorter, and accident rates are much higher. They’re also far more likely to be murdered or to commit suicide.

As Stephen was being stoned to death, he fell to his knees and cried out, “Lord don’t hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60). When Jesus was hanging on the cross He looked at those who had put Him there and prayed, “Father forgive them. They don’t know what they’re doing.” (Luke 23:34) This is the testimony of two witnesses, showing us the proper reaction to the sinners in our midst. We need to understand that none of us could ever deserve to go in the Rapture. We’re all sinners worthy of the worst kind of judgment. There is no such thing as a believer who’s less deserving than we are because the Church is not a merit based organization. It’s faith based. When we see a brother or sister struggling with sin we should be praying for them instead of condemning them. It could just as easily have been us.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35) Selah 12-06-08

“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted,

Store Up Treasure In Heaven

“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” ( Luke 12:32-34)

According to a number of reliable sources, the retirement accounts (like pension funds and 401k’s) of working Americans are in danger of either being eaten up by inflation or seized by the government in it’s insatiable hunger for money.

Who Started This?

If you’re following the editorials and news reports like I am you’ve been reading some of the most incredible speculation about what’s happening and why that we’ve seen in a long time.

Some say conditions are being created for the anti-Christ to step in and take charge. According to this scenario, he’ll be a financial peacemaker, and will take over the world’s banking systems to get control of the situation and restore order. At that point he’ll be able to determine what everybody buys and sells, excluding those who won’t follow him from the marketplace.

Others say that this crisis has been manipulated by a hand full of shadowy figures at the pinnacle of the US financial world. They’re the ones who triggered the Asian financial crisis a few years ago and now they’re implementing the same tactics against Europe. Their goal is also to control world finance but for the benefit of their cronies at Goldman Sachs, Citibank and JP Morgan.

Still others claim this is the long predicted (but studiously ignored) outcome of applying the philosophy of social activism to economic matters. They claim that since the days of the Carter Administration the government has been ignoring the basics of mortgage banking by forcing its sponsored lending institutions to grant loans to people who couldn’t pay them back. Such requirements as good credit history, proof of income, and down payments were all ignored to help more of the nation’s “disadvantaged” to own their homes. Their hope (which didn’t materialize) was that if more people in poor neighborhoods owned their homes, they’d help improve the neighborhoods which would increase the value of their property. Payment plans were sometimes adjusted downward to the point where they didn’t even cover the monthly interest charges, meaning that the “home owner’s” debt actually increased each month. While this program started off “small” in 15 selected markets, it was vastly expanded by President Clinton to become essentially a nation wide effort.

They say Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac ultimately failed because of these bad mortgages, which by government decree made up about half of their portfolios, and that triggered the failure of other institutions who bought their “Asset Backed Securities”, as bundles of these mortgages were called. Just about every sizable financial institution in the world with a fixed income portfolio holds some and will share in the huge losses they have generated.

And then there are those who say that God Himself is behind this. He’s giving “what-for” to those who’ve put their trust in silver and gold in an effort to humble the proud in fulfillment prophecies like James 5:1-6.

Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.

One thing everyone seems to agree on is that this isn’t going to be over anytime soon. They all say that we’ll have short periods of relative calm that will make it seem like things are OK, but they’ll be followed by more times of unrest and even greater uncertainty. Many believe that our mountain of credit card debt will soon come crashing down as well, and before it’s all over we’ll see a totally new world wide banking system, and perhaps even a single world wide currency.

Now What Do We Do?

How should a Christian family respond to these things? The natural way is to tighten the proverbial belt, stop spending money on things we don’t need and try to reduce living expenses as quickly as possible. Many will reduce their charitable giving immediately, thinking it’s the most discretionary of all their spending, and indeed some already have. Others are turning to Ebay and Craig’s List, hoping to convert non-essential possessions into cash to help pay the bills.

The Bible suggests a different strategy. It says not to worry about it. It says you should sell unnecessary things and work to reduce your income needs, but then give the money you recover to those whose needs are even greater. When things are declining in value the sooner you turn them into cash the more cash you’ll get, and the more you get the more generous you can be. If your retirement fund is disappearing anyway, why not give some of it away while you can and feel good, instead of watching it disappear into thin air and feeling bad?

You’ll also be building treasure in Heaven where things like inflation and depreciation are unheard of, and at the same time cranking up the measure of blessing you receive on Earth because with the measure you use in giving, the Lord’s blessings are measured to you. (Luke 6:38)

The anxiety people feel comes from watching something they’ve worked for and put their faith in eroding uncontrollably right before their eyes. And if, as some believe, this erosion will continue until there’s little or nothing left the stress can only get worse. Shifting your trust from your bank account to the Lord will immediately reduce your anxiety because you’ll be putting your faith in the One who has promised to look after you, and who will never run out of money. And using part of what He’s already given you to help the less fortunate will give you such a boost that you’ll finally understand what that phrase “peace that passes all understanding” (Phil 4:7) really means.

Where your treasure is there your heart will be also. Now’s the time to move your portfolio to some place where things like this can’t ever happen. Since you’re going there soon anyway, now’s the time to send it on ahead. Financial advisors caution us against converting everything to cash because they say when we do we lock in our losses. But investing in the Lord’s work will store up treasure in Heaven . It pays an eternal dividend that will put anything you could earn here to shame.

I know this sounds counter intuitive. I know every fiber of your being is telling you to tighten up and horde what you have. But I’m saying that now’s the time to become generous. Now’s the time to switch your allegiance from the things of man to the promises of God. When you do, you’ll have finally found that “sure thing” that investors have hunted for in vain since the beginning of time.

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. (Colossians 2:8)

So far in these articles on Living in Hard Times, I’ve identified three Biblical principles that can guide us safely through.

1.Seek His Kingdom and His Righteousness,
2.Increase Your Faith,
3.Store Up Treasure In Heaven.

Seeking His Kingdom means to start living a life more pleasing to Him, not by keeping a bunch of rules, but by offering your life to Him to use as He sees fit (Romans 12:1-2). Increasing your faith means trusting Him to provide for you as His part of the bargain and watching your faith grow as He comes through for you. Storing up treasure in heaven means helping the work of the kingdom as the Lord guides you, using what He’s given you for His glory. All three require us to abandon conventional wisdom and the ways of this world in favor of Biblical truth. It’s one of the biggest paradigm shifts we’ll ever make but it’s based on Paul’s admonition of 2 Cor. 4:18. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

So come on, Church. It’s time to get our hearts and minds out of the world and into the Kingdom, to finally walk by faith and not by sight. To recognize that we’re citizens of Heaven and our temporary stay here is coming to an end. To stop worrying about things that aren’t our responsibility and that we can’t control and focus on things that are our responsibillity and that we can control. Time to think about going home and what’s it’s going to be like there, and to send our treasure on ahead so it’ll be there when we want it. It’s time to place our trust fully in the One we can neither leave nor lose, the Giver of every good and perfect gift, who has promised to be with us always, even to the end of the age, and to see to our every need along the way. Selah 10-11-08

Increase Our Faith

Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.

“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor.” He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith. (Mark 6:1-6)

Of all the miraculous works of God, it seems like healing is the most impressive to us. We pray for a favorable outcome to some crisis real or imagined, and when we get it we think it might have been just a coincidence. The weather changes for the better before an important event, money arrives in the mail just in time, an adversary is suddenly accommodating, a parking place opens up where there was none, someone else is heavily favored for the promotion but it goes to us. All these leave room for “good fortune” or personal credit. But when a sick person is suddenly well, it could only be God.

Perhaps it’s because in many (dare I say most?) parts of the Church supernatural healings are so rare. Most of what we know about them is polluted by the quacks on cable TV to the point where many people dismiss the idea out of hand. On the rare occasion when we become convinced of a legitimate healing we stand in awe of the faith it must have required.

It Wasn’t Always That Way

Back in the Lord’s day people were apparently used to that sort of thing. What got their attention was when the blind were given sight, twisted crippled limbs were made straight and fully functional, or the dead were raised to life. The Mark 6 passage above is a case in point. Because the people of the Lord’s hometown had known Him from childhood, their faith in His supernatural power was weak, so weak in fact that “all” He could do was heal a few sick people. No “real” miracles for the people of Nazareth!

All through His ministry, wherever He went people without number were healed. They followed Him on foot for days, sometimes winding up 50-60 miles from home without food or shelter. On two occasions that we know of He fed them Himself because there wasn’t anything for them to eat. Another miracle! When people heard He was coming to their town they brought their sick into the square where they waited, expecting to be healed. When He sent the disciples out the same things happened through them. By the thousands, people were healed. They believed it, they expected it, they experienced it. Supernatural healing was such an everyday experience that when He couldn’t do it, their lack of faith amazed Him. Look at these examples.

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him. (Matt. 4:23-25)

When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed. (Matt. 13:34-36)

And it wasn’t just Jesus. He gave this healing power to His disciples, too, to show us that He could work these miracles through men of faith.
Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits. They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. (Mark 6:6-7, 12-13)

As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed. (Acts 5:15-16)

God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. (Acts 19:11-12)

Things sure are different today. Now when our prayers aren’t answered, we either make excuses for God (it wasn’t His will or it wasn’t His timing) or we blame Him (He doesn’t heal people anymore). Why don’t we ever place the responsibility with us? Hebrews 13:8 says that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever and yet our experiences are different from those of the first believers. If He’s the same then we, the believers, must be different.

Nowhere in the Gospels, when asked to heal someone, did Jesus say, “It’s not God’s timing.” The one time a man asked him if He was willing, Jesus replied, “I am willing.” (Matt. 8:2-3) The one time a man asked If He was able, Jesus replied, “If you believe, I am able.” (Mark 9:23) The one time a man’s friends tried to convince him it was too late, because his daughter had died, Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid, just believe and she will be healed.” (Luke 8:50).

In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk. (Acts 14:8-10)

And as for the opinion that healing (and other Spiritual Gifts) were only for the 1st Century Church to help stimulate membership, there isn’t a single verse in the New Testament to support such a claim. The fact that there are documented cases of supernatural healing today puts that argument to naught.

I’ve told the story before about a woman with epilepsy who came to our church one Sunday morning. In the middle of the message she keeled over with a seizure right in front of everyone. I called some people up to help me pray over her and she was healed then and there. After her doctor confirmed it she threw away her medicine and has never had another seizure. Afterwards she told me she had seen everything in a dream before it happened and although she hadn’t attended our church before, she believed that if she came she would he healed. She had the faith to walk into that strange congregation knowing that she might make a complete fool of herself, but believing that God would heal her. He did. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” (Mark 5:34)

When you net out the duplicate accounts, some variation of that phrase appears seven times in the Gospels. Seven times, He credited the person’s faith for their healing. Seven is the number of divine completion. He knows that His power to heal is constant. The variable is our faith. This has led me to conclude that a miraculous event is simply the intersection of God’s constant power with the faith of a believer.

Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17) Life was so much more tenuous in Biblical times than in ours that we can’t begin to imagine the difference. Nor can we understand how much closer to God they were. Their faith was real, the most critical component of their life. Those who could, read the Bible. Those who couldn’t listened to those who could. Their lives centered around the study of His word. There wasn’t any entertainment industry so they told the stories of Biblical heroes to their children. They discussed theology with each other. Every male from the age of 12 knew the Torah by heart. All this was done in obedience to God’s word.

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. (Deut. 6:4-9)

There were no drug companies and no hospitals. Their doctors were the priests. God promised them that if they obeyed His commandments He would see to it that they wouldn’t get the diseases of the Egyptians. (Exodus 15:26) God was their healer, and when they were obedient, they enjoyed healthy secure lives equal to or longer than ours, and every bit as satisfying. It was preventive medicine in its purest form.

All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God:
You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock-the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. (Deut. 28:2-8)

A Tale Of Two Stories

The story of the Old Testament is one of obedience. In fact, you can summarize the entire Old Testament in one question from God. “Israel, are you going to obey me or not?” By obeying His commandments they lived worry-free lives, ate healthy food, lived long and prosperous lives. When they got off the track, their lives fell apart. Time after time they repeated the cycle of obedience and blessing followed by disobedience and cursing. And then, to their great shame, their final answer to God was, “No.”

Some Christians, having studied the history of Israel, try to recreate their society of blessing by obeying the commandments. They don’t understand that the story of the New Testament is one of faith. It can be summarized by a single question too, but now God is asking us, “Church, are you going to believe me or not?

I have spoken several times of the Lord’s promise to meet all of our needs if we’ll just seek His Kingdom and His righteousness. These are both imputed to us by faith. We’re not to worry about our lives here because the Lord has sworn to provide for us. Our job is to trust Him. Even in times of trial we’re to live by faith, not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). Paul admonished us not to focus on the things that can be seen because they’re temporary. We’re to fix our eyes on the things that can’t be seen because they’re eternal. (2 Cor. 4:18) God will take care of the rest. Here are some examples.

Are you feeling downtrodden or discouraged? Overcome by the worries of life?

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:4-7, 19)

Rejoice in faith.

Do you carry a burden of guilt because of your sins?

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

Confess in faith.

Do you have money problems?

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38)

Give in faith.

Or health problems?

Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. (James 5:14-16)

Pray in faith.

For the most part we ignore these admonitions. As a result, we live lives filled with stress and worry because we spend more than we earn. Our food and drink poison us so we pay outrageous health care costs. Our medical profession practices corrective medicine because doctors only prosper when their patients are sick. Our hospitals are a leading cause of death, second only to the heart problems caused by our lifestyle and diet. Most of us are only 2 major illnesses away from financial ruin, and after untold trillions of dollars spent on research and 3000 years of experimentation, our lives are neither longer nor more satisfying than the Jews of David and Solomon’s day.

Israel was required to obey God’s commandments to enjoy health and prosperity. The Church is called to believe His promises. At this point in time, it looks like we’re not doing any better at our job than they did at theirs. Unless we correct that there’s no way we can prepare for the days ahead. As the apostles said to the Lord, our prayer should also be, “Increase our faith!” Selah 09-27-08.

When the Christian community gets united behind something we’re a force to be reckoned with. The 2004 Presidential election was a good example. Many of those 35 million extra votes George Bush got were from Evangelical Christians. Sadly, things like that don’t happen very often anymore.

When the Christian community gets united behind something we’re a force to be reckoned with. The 2004 Presidential election was a good example. Many of those 35 million extra votes George Bush got were from Evangelical Christians. Sadly, things like that don’t happen very often anymore. Even 9/11 didn’t produce any long term change toward unifying the Body. But try to imagine this if you can. Imagine how different this country would be today if all Christians held a Christian world view, were convinced that the Lord was coming back for us very soon, and were living their lives accordingly. Can you even begin to see the difference we’d be making? It would be amazing. America would be compared to the Israel of Solomon’s day.

To prevent the tremendous effect we would have for good, the enemy has implemented a divide and conquer strategy. He knows that as long as he can keep the Body of Christ fractured he can keep us weak. Over the years, he’s mounted a number of campaigns to implement this strategy. Gifts vs. no gifts, the inerrancy issue, and the proper method of interpretation come to mind. But one of his most successful efforts has been to take advantage of the fact that for His own reasons, God has chosen to keep the Rapture’s timing a secret.

The clues He’s given us point to our departure happening prior to the beginning of Daniel’s 70th Week. But right from the beginning Satan influenced Church leaders to conclude that denying the pre-trib pre millennial view would keep us focused on the things of this world instead of always looking up, waiting for the Lord. So even though Paul very clearly taught a pre-trib rapture of the Church, and John revealed a 1000 year Kingdom to follow it, alternate views have sprung up almost continuously since then.

Take Your Pick

Amillennialism came along in the early 400’s to teach believers not to expect any literal Kingdom, ever. It told believers that the 2nd Coming took place when Jesus came into their hearts, that the Church Age is the Millennium and that end times prophecy is not meant to be taken literally. This removed a major obstacle to having Christianity recognized by Rome.

Post millenialism taught that the 2nd Coming would take place after the 1000 year millennium which is really a golden age of Christian prosperity and dominance in the world. The prosperity gospel and Dominion theology are offshoots of post-millennialism.

The Post Tribulation Rapture view denied the doctrine of imminence by placing the Rapture after the Tribulation. Look for the anti-Christ, it says, not the Christ. Mid-Trib (aka Pre-Wrath) is a compromise between the pre and post trib views that denies imminence as well. Replacement Theology was to deny that the re-birth of Israel is an end times sign. Preterism denies all future prophetic events. Kingdom Now, or Dominionism, contends that the Lord can’t come back until we’ve done our part by converting the world. As a result of Dominionism millions of believers have been looking all their lives for a great revival that’s never coming, instead of looking for the Lord, who is.

The combined effect of all this is that most believers have been lulled to sleep with no clue as to how close we are to the End of the Age. While prophecies that Christians have been anticipating for nearly 2000 years are being fulfilled right before their eyes, they’re more concerned about the long term mortgages on their homes and the interest free financing on their cars. Having sufficient retirement income far outweighs stockpiling treasure in heaven on their list of priorities. Their endless quest for bigger and better toys distracts them from the boredom of lives that have been rendered meaningless, without purpose. False teaching about the End Times has left them ignorant of the closeness of the Lord’s return and complacent about their faith. It has stolen their joy, quenched their spirit, and made them no better off spiritually than the unbelievers who surround us. They sometimes get fired up on Sunday, but by mid-week you’d never know it happened.

Here’s what that means. According to recent surveys in the USA, less than 10% of born-again believers have a Christian world view. That means over 90% of us have been seduced into a pursuit of the same materialistic goals as our unbelieving neighbors. Over 40% have never given the first dime to the Lord’s work. Even more have never shared the Gospel with anyone. Some studies show that the abortion rate among Christians is the same as for unbelievers, as is the divorce rate, and two out of three of our children will stop going to church the minute they have a choice.

I lay most of the blame for this at the feet of so-called theologians who’ve let themselves be influenced by Satan while charged with the responsibility of teaching the Word of God. Remember, Paul’s words to the Corinthians:

For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. (2 Cor. 11:13-15)

Knowingly or not, these people have bought into Satan’s lies and have taught those entrusted to them that God’s word isn’t true.

The Greatest Generation

What the secular media calls America’s greatest generation, those who fought and won WW2, is also the generation that sat in the pews of the great denominational churches of the 40’s and 50’s. There they were taught that God didn’t create the Heavens and the Earth in 6 days and Moses didn’t write the Torah. Daniel didn’t write Daniel, Isaiah didn’t write Isaiah, Jesus didn’t feed 5000 or walk on water, and on and on. To make God small enough to fit in their minds the denominational theologians made Him too small to meet our needs. Amillennialism became their eschatology of choice because with a God that small it was easy to believe that nothing was ever going to happen. He isn’t really going to return, they say, and even if he does it certainly won’t be now. Some were actually saying that he had died. Because of their teaching, millions of Christians are asleep at the switch during the most important and exciting time in the history of man.

It’s not because prophecy has ever failed, it’s because like the Saducees before them, the theologians stopped believing it and so the teachers stopped teaching it. Jesus addressed this in his letter to the Church at Sardis, a model of the mainline denominations. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. (Rev. 3:3) The Saducees missed the chance to be on the Lord’s team at the time of the first coming because they stopped believing the prophecies. Liberal theologians and their students are missing the 2nd one for the same reason.

Now another great attack against End Times prophecy has come in the name of the Emerging Church. Leaders of this movement don’t teach the Bible much at all because their success is based on saying nothing that could offend the people in their pews. Consequently there’s no talk of being born again or getting ready for the Lord’s return. They talk of being followers of the Lord not just believers in Him, but in truth there’s very little discussion of what either means. Their pews and their bank accounts are full, and their members are kept busy with projects that often do a lot of Earthly good but aren’t designed to bring any one any closer to the Kingdom. The study of prophecy is viewed as non productive and a distraction from their goals, one of which is to strive for a 50/50 split in their membership between believers and non-believers. The reason for this is that the non-believers can help to form a consensus that will draw the believers away from the moral and spiritual absolutes of traditional Christianity. As with the revival seeking Charismatics there is a thread of dominionism running through the emerging Church’s doctrine. It helps keep them focused on the things of this world.

Which One Are You?

So the liberals are amillennial and couldn’t tell a rapture from a rupture. Pentecostal, charismatic, and emerging congregations are often dominionists, although for different reasons. Catholics and some conservative protestants are post-trib. Almost all have been tainted by replacement theology, and hardly any study prophecy. That leaves the evangelicals and even among us there’s growing disagreement.

It’s popular to just smile and say of the protestant church, “On the essentials of salvation we all agree, but in the non-essentials there’s room for lots of different opinions.” Baloney. The Bible is not a document written to provide a debating society with lots of different positions. It’s the Word of God and it’s not subject to man’s opinion. Though we may not like it all, we don’t have the right to re-interpret it to suit our desires.

But while we sit around arguing about what it says, the world is falling apart and the time is getting short. The Lord’s coming back and 90% of the Church is distracted by the world and doesn’t have a clue it’s about to happen.

God said, “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please … what I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do.” (Isaiah 46:10-11) It’s not that He’s stopped performing on this promise, it’s just that most of the Church has stopped believing it and no longer expects it.

Of the 5 crowns believers can win as rewards for the way they live, one will be given to those who long for His appearing. (2 Tim. 4:8) It has always fascinated me that it’s called the Crown of Righteousness. Most folks would think that one would go to those who led exemplary lives. Not so. Our righteousness is imputed to us by faith. Longing for His return is a sign of faith in His promise that He will. (John 14:1-3) I wonder how many of those they’ll be handing out. My Thoughts 09-13-08

Paul continues his view of the world’s spiritual condition. Remember, he’s not writing about believers here. His intent in this introductory survey is to show that everyone needs the Gospel, whether Jew or Gentile. But I’m going to treat some of this as if it applies to us as well,

Romans 2:1- 3:20

Paul continues his view of the world’s spiritual condition. Remember, he’s not writing about believers here. His intent in this introductory survey is to show that everyone needs the Gospel, whether Jew or Gentile. But I’m going to treat some of this as if it applies to us as well, because we all still commit the sins he’ll mention, and although we’re forgiven, we need to be reminded that that’s not our way anymore. We won’t have to pay the penalty for doing these things like unbelievers will because the Lord has already done that for us, but it does grieve the Holy Spirit when we sin, and it will interrupt our fellowship with Him. And after all, the intent of this study is to help prepare us for the Lord’s return.

At the end of chapter 1, he was referring to those who have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. (Romans 1:29-32)

Now he’ll include those who condemn others for doing these things, because every one of us has done something on this list at one time or another. Therefore, when we judge others for doing these things we’re ignoring the fact that we’re guilty as well. If we think they should be condemned, are we willing to apply the same standards to ourselves?

Chapter 2

God’s Righteous Judgment

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance? (Romans 2:1-4)

If, as sinners, we condemn the sin of others, we identify ourselves as being worthy of similar condemnation. Jesus said, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6:37)

Witnessing the sin of others should not bring thoughts of judgment to our minds, but sadness and empathy. It should awaken our spirit of intercession, causing us to ask God to forgive them. It could easily have been us committing the sin.

It’s God’s mercy that draws people to Him, not His righteousness, and by asking for mercy on another’s behalf instead of condemning him or her, we may be helping to incline that person’s heart toward God. It’s one of our biggest jobs right now.

But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God “will give to each person according to what he has done.” To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism. (Romans 2:5-11)

Regardless of their own spiritual condition, some folks think that it pleases God when they express their contempt for another person because of that person’s sins. But in reality it upsets Him because He knows that they’re just as guilty as the one they’re condemning. It’s a case of “the pot calling the kettle black” as the old saying goes. A lawyer would counsel that it violates the “clean hands” principle. It’s why Jesus said, “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” Judging others implies that we think we’re better. It’s a self-seeking act, and by persisting in it we add to our own sin.

All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.) This will take place on the day when God will judge men’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares. (Romans 2:12-16)

Paul had previously told the Corinthians, “Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts.” (1 Cor. 4:5) All mankind intuitively knows good behavior from bad, but only God knows the motives of our hearts. Jesus admonished us to get the plank out of our own eye before worrying about the speck in our brother’s. (Matt. 7:5) Knowing the Law isn’t enough. We have to obey. And if we can’t, we have no business condemning someone else who can’t.

The Jews and the Law

Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and brag about your relationship to God; if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” (Romans 2:17-24)

The self-righteous would angrily deny such accusations. But Jesus taught that it’s not our behavior, but the motive of our heart that convicts us. Anger is as bad as murder, lust is as bad as adultery, and envy is as bad as theft. Which of us is not guilty of these things? And as His brother James wrote, “Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” (James 2:10)

Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised. If those who are not circumcised keep the law’s requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker.

A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise is not from men, but from God. (Romans 2:25-29)

Circumcision was the visible sign of the covenant. It identified a man as Jewish. But the covenant had its provisions, and violations of those provisions carried a penalty. The fact that a person was circumcised didn’t exempt him from the penalty, he’d be judged like anyone else. Conversely someone who was not circumcised, but kept the Law, would receive the same benefits as if he was. Once again we see that it isn’t outward appearances that matter with the Lord, but the inner thoughts and motives of our hearts.

Chapter 3:1-20

What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? Much in every way! First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God.

What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness? Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Psalm 51:4)

But if our unrighteousness brings out God’s righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world? Someone might argue, “If my falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?” Why not say—as we are being slanderously reported as saying and as some claim that we say—”Let us do evil that good may result”? Their condemnation is deserved. (Romans 3:1-8)

The “Judaizers” accused Paul of preaching a simplified message, giving believers the impression that God didn’t care how they behaved. Then they tried to convert new Gentile Christians to Judaism, saying they had to be circumcised and keep the Law before they could follow Jesus.

If God had not provided a remedy for sin that allows us to escape the judgment, then we might have had an argument that it’s unfair of Him to judge us. After all we were born with our sin nature, we didn’t decide to become sinners. But He knows the dilemma that His righteousness and our sinfulness have created for both Him and us, and came to Earth Himself to make things right. Our part is simply to accept in faith the remedy He provided. Failing that, we’re left with no other resolution but to stand on our own merit. Choosing to do so nullifies any claim of unfairness.

No One is Righteous

What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. As it is written:

“There is no one righteous, not even one;” (Isaiah 64:6)

“There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.” (Isaiah 29:13)

“All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Psalm 14:1-3)

“Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know.” (Isaiah 59:7-8)

“There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Psalm 36:1)

Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. (Romans 3:9-20)

So here’s the situation. None of us can survive a judgment on our own merit. Whether Jew or Gentile, it’s impossible for us to solve our own sin problem. Even with the Law, the Jews are no better off than the Gentiles. No one can keep the Law, nor was it ever considered that anyone would. The Law was given to make sin obvious and our need for a Savior clear. Then the Savior was provided, and from that time forward the question has not been, “Are you a sinner or not?” but, “Have you accepted My remedy or not?” Paul has spent 2½ chapters convincing us of one truth. Everyone needs the Gospel. Next time he’ll begin giving it to us. 01-13-07